School Daze
by waiting.for.summer
Summary: What if our favorite characters had been trained as teachers instead of crime scene investigators? This is fluff, no angst, or not much, allowed! AU, no really? Think chalkboards, athletic tape and tagged bathroom stalls. Just for fun!
1. Chapter 1

Catherine fussed around the outside table strewn with covered dishes and disposable tableware. When she had determined where the remaining dishes that were waiting in the refrigerator were going to go just prior to serving, she looked over to the grill where her fellow teacher, Warrick Brown, was manning the charcoal grill covered with a variety of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken breasts. She allowed herself the enjoyable view of his backside as he bent down to check the damper on the bottom of the grill.

"Don't think that's on the menu, Catherine," a lazy drawl chuckled, interrupting her little fantasy.

She turned towards the smiling Texan and grinned right back. "Maybe not your menu, Nicky, but I think I might be able to get a special order from the chef if I ask right."

Nick threw back his head and laughed out loud. "Cath, you better get your order in before the lunch rush, I haven't heard who Doc hired to fill those empty teaching positions, but there might be a 'little hottie' arriving soon with special dietary needs too."

"I can handle a 'little hottie', Nicky. As a home economics teacher I know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and I've got that covered," she swept her arm out toward the heavily laden table.

Smiling, the brown-haired man just shook his head and nodded towards the driver's education teacher standing by the grill. "A 'little hottie' without cooking experience might take a detour through another body part on her way to his heart, Catherine."

The tall blond gave the physical education teacher a dirty, little smile and flipped her hair over her left shoulder. She started to walk towards the grill, but stopped after only a couple of steps and looking back over her shoulder at her coworker shook her behind tauntingly, "I got that route covered too, Nicky."

Nick raised his beer bottle up in salute and watched her strut over towards Warrick. "Go get him, Cath. He won't put up much of a fight," he whispered to himself as he turned towards another coworker walking his direction. "Hey, Sara. Good to see you back. How was your summer?"

"Frustrating, Nick. How was yours?"

He fell into step along with the dark haired beauty. "Busy. I coached some little league and picked up some hours doing personal training for one of the local gyms, filling in for their vacationing trainers. Didn't you go to San Francisco to participate in a study at the state university?"

They stopped by a cooler and Nick reached in to pull out a beer for his friend. "Yeah, I was doing research with one of the sociology professors there, but his idea of research and mine were two totally different things. I wanted some data to publish a paper, but he only wanted to research a way into my pants."

The Texan grimaced, handing Sara the beverage, "Ouch. I take it that's why your summer was frustrating then?"

Sara took a long pull on the bottle and turned her face away from his questioning gaze, "HE didn't return my phone calls, Nick. I tried several times and then I just gave up. I wasn't even sure I was going to come back this semester, but time got away from me and I didn't want to leave Doc in the lurch this late in the summer."

"Awww, Sara. I'm so sorry. Grissom's just, well, Grissom. He probably got involved with his bugs and forgot you called. You should have phoned me, sweetie, I'd have talked to you about it." Nick put a brotherly arm around his coworker and gave her a big hug. "You want me to stake him out on the football field during practice tomorrow? My front line could knock a little sense into the guy."

Sara allowed herself a moment to feel protected and loved before moving away from his sheltering arm. "Naw, Nick. I can fight my own battles, IF I decide to go that route. Maybe I'll forget about Gil and check out the new meat Doc has lined up for the students this year. I stopped at the school office Friday to check my mailbox and the secretary said there were two new hires. A chemistry teacher and girl's physical education instructor."

"Yeah, I heard there was new phys ed teacher hired. Doc asked me to show her the ropes. Didn't know about the new chem teacher, though. Of course old lady Gribbs could have retired about twenty years ago and still wouldn't have had to take an early retirement."

Sara laughed out loud. "Gosh I missed you, Nick. Maybe I should just give up on Gil and hook up with you instead," she joked as she jabbed him in the arm with her elbow. "On second thought," she paused, "maybe I'll take the chem teacher."

Nick looked down at his coworker and followed her gaze across the yard. Walking towards the gathering of high school teachers was the aforementioned biology teacher, Gil Grissom, and literally bouncing alongside him was a young blond man who had to be the new chemistry teacher. Holy shit, Sara, stand in line, he thought.

The newcomer was lean, but had wide shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist, wild blond hair that looked as if he had stuck his finger in an electrical socket, and an attitude of confidence that belied his years. As he got closer Nick could see full pink lips and long lashes surrounding the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. He wasn't dressed to impress, but he looked as sexy as hell and Nick was more than interested.

"That poor boy is going to have every girl in school, and a large portion of the male students, trying to change their schedules to take his classes," Sara announced to no one in particular.

Nick tore his eyes away from the chemistry teacher and looked down at Sara. Damn, she was really interested in the new hire. This was not good. Nick had kept his sexuality quiet, feeling it was just easier when being a high school teacher and coach, but this new addition to the staff might be incentive enough to open that door a little wider. He definitely needed to get Sara back interested in Grissom, and not his new fantasy man.

"Grissom looks good, Sara. Don't give up on him yet. Let's go over there and have him introduce us to the new chem guy. If things go well, I'll help you out by taking the guy off his hands and introduce him around to everyone else. You can spend some time with Gris. Reconnect." Nick hoped he didn't sound too desperate or wasn't acting too transparent.

Sara smiled up at her dark haired companion. "You are so good to me, Nicky. Do you really think I should give it another try?"

"Absolutely! Let's go." He gripped Sara's elbow and closed the gap separating him from the handsome young man and Sara's oblivious love interest.

* * *

Greg had noticed the well-built, dark-eyed man immediately when he entered the backyard. He tried to keep his attention on the older man at his side who was extolling the virtues of beekeeping, but found his gaze and thoughts sliding across the grassy expanse towards the wide shoulders and handsome features.

Yum, he thought to himself, before noticing the dark haired woman standing close at his side. He watched the man drop his gaze to the woman by his hip and then saw her gaze up at him with such affection. Crap, he has a wife or girlfriend. Greg felt his hopes plummet with their locked gaze.

Focus, he said to himself and redirected his attention to his new mentor, the head of the science department, Gil Grissom. Mr. Grissom had called him yesterday to welcome him to the department and when Greg had mentioned the cookout today, the older gentleman insisted on picking him up and introducing him around. The blond had laughed silently to himself at the offer. The department head probably just wanted more time to talk bugs with a fellow science geek, but in actuality entomology was not all that interesting to the new chemistry teacher.

"Gil." Greg turned his head towards the voice and found himself looking at the dark-haired couple he had been stealing glances at a few moments before. He noticed that the woman was hesitant in her approach, being prodded by the man at her side, and her eyes were locked on the biology teacher.

He watched the older man make eye contact with the young woman and realized in an instant that there were unresolved feelings between the two individuals.

"Sara, you're back. How long have you been in Vegas?" asked the graying man, staring intently into the face in front of him.

"A week," she said softly.

He appeared taken back by her response. "I thought you would have called. I've been concerned."

Greg could tell that Sara was just barely holding it together. "Concerned! Is that why you didn't bother answering your phone for the past two months, Gil? You're concerned?"

"Sara…."

The young chemistry teacher suddenly wanted to be anywhere else than in the middle of this little domestic dispute and shot a glance at the dark-haired man standing in front of him. He found the other man's eyes already trained on his face with a slight smirk on his face. The dark-eyed man gave Greg a small nod and then inclined his head to the right, indicating that they should move away from the disputing couple. Greg acknowledged the gesture and the two men moved away further into the yard.

Nick couldn't believe his luck. He felt bad throwing Sara under the bus like that, but knew that she wasn't ready to move on with the new chemistry teacher at this point anyway. She was still too emotionally invested in Grissom.

Before their momentum could take them too close to the larger group of teachers surrounding the food-covered table and grill area, Nick slowed and stepped in front of the younger man, stopping their advancement. He extended his hand, "I'm Nick Stokes, boys physical education and coach."

Of course you're a coach with that body, thought the blond stretching his hand out to answer the offer of a handshake. "Greg Sanders, chemistry and physics."

"Nice to meet you, Greg. Sorry you got stuck in the middle of that showdown. Grissom and Sara have a few unresolved feelings that they need to work on. They've been dancing around each other for years. I really thought that a couple months apart would be good for them, you know, the old 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' bit, but I don't know."

"Yeah, relationships can be hard, Nick. Glad I'm not having to deal with that right now. It made the move to Vegas easier." Greg took an inwardly deep breath, I let him know I'm single, I wonder if he's available. Only one way to find out. "I thought at first you were with Sara. You two looked pretty cozy before you walked over to Grissom and I."

"Me and Sara? No way. She's cool and all, but she's like a little sister to me. Not my type," Nick replied.

"Aw," Greg acknowledged nodding his head. I wonder what constitutes his type, he thought. Pressing a little he asked, "Is there somebody here you need to get back to, or could you help introduce me to a few people? It's usually pretty easy for me to talk to people, but if I'm going to be working with these people I want to make a good first impression."

Nick gave the young man a bright smile. "All alone here. I'd be happy to introduce you around. Don't worry about most of these people. They're a great bunch, only a few bad apples, but they're easy to avoid.

"You've met Grissom and, of course, you've met Doc Robbins. He's a great boss, but if you haven't met the superintendent…." Greg shook his head. "Well, let's just say that Ecklie is an acquired taste, and not many around our building have acquired it."

He pointed out Catherine and Warrick standing by the grill. "The blond is Catherine Willows, home economics teacher. This is her house, she throws this little back to school shindig every August. The tall man beside her is Warrick Brown, driver's education. They're dancing the same dance as Gris and Sara, but I have more faith they'll make it as a couple. Stick with them if you have any questions. They won't steer you wrong."

He pointed out a few more individuals before asking, "You ready?"

Greg smiled at the man in front of him, realizing that he would be an awesome coach. He instilled confidence in others and was able to calm fears without seeming to address them. "Yeah, I'm ready, Nick. Lead on."

Nick placed a hand between the slighter man's shoulder blades and gave him a pat. "Let's start over by the food table, Catherine's the best cook ever. Her back to school spread is not to be believed."

* * *

After introducing Greg to Catherine, Warrick and several other faculty members close to the buffet table, the two men filled plates and settled at an empty table. They sat in a quiet companionship while they consumed their meal. Wiping his mouth, Greg leaned back and catching Nick's attention nodded over towards a small group of people standing close to tree.

"Who are those people talking to Doc Robbins?"

Nick looked at the trio and shook his head slightly. "The dark-haired guy is David Hodges, teaches math. He's a bit of a blow-hard, but if you can get past his feelings of superiority, he's basically a good guy. I don't recognize the girl, but it might be the new girl's phys ed teacher. Doc told me her name was Wendy Simms."

"She's a looker," Greg commented idly. Moving his gaze away from the trio and scanning the remaining crowd.

"Yeah, she is," responded the phys ed teacher hollowly, bereft in the belief that the young man next to him was attracted to the other newly hired teacher.

At that point Doc Robbins' gaze met Nick's and he waved the other man over to the group. "Hey Greg, Doc wants us to head over there. Are you finished?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

The two men tossed their empty plates into a garbage can and Nick snagged a couple of beers from a cooler as they passed, handing one over to Greg.

"Thanks man."

"No problem."

"Hey Doc. It's good to see ya, boss. How was the cruise?" Nick asked the principal.

The older man leaned on his cane and smiled widely. "Just great, Nicky. How's the team looking this year?"

"They're coming along, Doc. They'll be ready for the first game." He turned toward the dark-haired man standing beside Doc. "Hodges, this is Greg Sanders. He's taking over for Mrs. Gribbs. Greg, this is David Hodges, mathematician extraordinaire."

Greg barely contained a smirk at Nick's introduction. Hodges seemed to puff up and nodded his head at Greg. "Pleased to meet you."

"Same."

Doc motioned to the woman standing silently during the interchange. "This is Wendy Simms. She's taking over the girls physical education program. Wendy, Nick here is our boys phys ed instructor so if you have any questions please check with him before coming to me. I've assigned him as your mentor for the first year."

"It's nice to meet you, Nick," she smiled sweetly. "You too, Greg. It's nice to know I'm not the only new hire. We'll have to get together and have our own little support group."

"Uh yeah, Wendy. That'd be great," he said. He was wishing that Nick had been assigned as his mentor as opposed to Grissom. He was suddenly jealous of the time Nick would have to spend with Wendy over the coming months.

Hodges also was not pleased about the mentoring assignment. He had been enjoying having the majority of Wendy's attention and disliked having the two additional men thrown into the mix. He desperately wanted to regain control of the situation. "Wendy, how about I introduce you to our hostess and we can check out the buffet table?" He was mentally crossing his fingers, toes, legs, arms, eyes…

"Thank you, David, I'd like that. Nice to meet you, Greg. I'll be talking to you, Nick." The men nodded at her as she left with Hodges.

"Keep an eye on her, Nick. She's a sweet young thing and there are way too many single men on this staff right now. I don't want to see her get hurt." Doc tapped him with the handle of his cane. "I'm counting on you."

"Got it, Doc. I'll order the chastity belt as soon as I get home," Nick joked.

Doc Robbins just smiled at the comment and started over toward the buffet table and Catherine.

Greg watched the exchange between his boss and new coworker with a scientific eye. Out of nowhere he made an observation. "I've only just met you and I can already tell by everyone reactions to you that you're a pretty amazing guy, Nick." Greg swallowed deeply. Oh crap, did I just say that out loud?

Nick felt a warm glow at the words spoken by the young man and turned to him with a smile. "Glad I made a good first impression, G. Hope that I can live up to that belief."

The flushed young man shuffled the toe of one of his sneakers in the grass in embarrassment and looking off to the side took a long draw on the slightly warm beer in his hand. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought. "I haven't seen or heard anything yet that would disappointment me, Nick." He turned toward the dark-haired man and almost melted in his gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks to my reviewers. Glad someone is enjoying it. :o)**

**QueenOfTheUniverse - Didn't realize I was using an AU that was so popular right now. LOL I pulled my plot bunny from it's hole during a teacher's meeting. Too bad Greg and Nick don't teach in my district. ;o(**

**Don't own 'em, just really love 'em.**

* * *

**Nick walked into the auditorium on Monday morning and cast his eyes around the room looking for the owner of then spiky blond hair and chocolate brown eyes he had been thinking about for the last two days. He shook his head and smiled to himself, those brown eyes had crept into his thoughts countless times since he had last seen them. Just this morning a disgruntled driver had honked his horn repeatedly to get Nick's attention as the light at the intersection had turned from red to green and back to red while he sat there daydreaming about the new chemistry teacher. **

**He caught sight of the object of his search halfway across the crowded room to his left sitting amongst his coworkers. He noticed that Grissom had snagged the chair to Greg's left and that Sara was sitting with him. It didn't surprise Nick that Gris had made an effort to ease his new charge into the stream, but he was somewhat surprised that Sara was sitting there also. Evidently they had worked out some of their problems over the remainder of the weekend, making him feel slightly less guilty for throwing her under the bus at the cookout on Saturday. Nick hoped that Sara wouldn't be hurt again by the somewhat socially inept man. **

**He was moving towards the group when he noticed the new girl's phys ed teacher come up and join them. She was smiling and talking with animation and Nick noticed that Greg joined into the conversation enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling as he chatted with the young woman. Nick watched as Wendy sat down next to Greg in the seat he had been hoping to occupy. He stopped his movement towards the group and sighed. He had been hoping he and the new phys ed teacher could be friends, but if she was going to be flirting with Greg, Nick wasn't sure he would prove to be a positive mentor for the new hire.**

**Nick looked around the auditorium again and saw Warrick and Catherine sitting halfway across the room to his right. They had their heads bent together and were talking softly to each other. Nick smiled at their obvious infatuation, evidently they had come to an understanding of sorts and Nick was loath to interrupt. He moved over to a seat about six rows behind Greg and sat down by himself. If he couldn't sit beside the young man, then at least he could watch him unobserved. He settled down into the seat and kept his eyes from making contact with anyone else. Nick didn't want anyone joining him and causing distractions while he watched the young blond discreetly. **

**He watched as Hodges walked up to the group and settled down on the other side of Wendy, trying to gain her attention before the meeting started. Nick was happy to see that the dark-haired woman did turn towards the new arrival and engage him in conversation, leaving Greg sitting quietly. He watched the young man turn his head slightly from side to side, as if looking for someone and Nick hoped that it was him Greg was looking for, but was afraid he was just trying to scope out all the new faces swimming around him.**

**At that point Superintendent Ecklie took the stage to begin the first presentation of the day. Nick slumped further down in his chair and let his mind wander back to Saturday afternoon. He ran through the day from the time he had first noticed the new teacher until the moment of his admission that he thought Nick was an amazing guy. It had really surprised Nick that Greg would be as open so quickly after meeting him. It was just another thing that made the young man so attractive in his eyes. **

**He willed the young man in front of him to turn around and make eye contact, but Greg kept his eyes focused forward. At one point he did look towards Grissom, who must have made a comment to him, and Nick zeroed in on the soft skin at the base of his ear just above his collar line. Nick ran his tongue over dry lips and exhaled sharply. **

**Gotta get control, he thought, closing his eyes briefly. He opened his eyes and forced himself to look to the stage where Ecklie was discussing a new drug testing policy, knowing if the superintendent caught him with his eyes closed there would be a meeting later that Nick desperately wanted to avoid.**

**Nick stayed on task and listened to the remainder of Ecklie's rant, but when the featured speaker for the institute took the podium, he felt his attention wander again to the young man sitting in front of him.**

**He began to recall the moments after Greg had uttered the words, **_**"I haven't seen or heard anything yet that would disappointment me, Nick."**_

_**The look that passed between the two men felt combustible, at least from Nick's standpoint. He felt his breath hitch and his groin begin to tighten at the admission. Looking at the young blond was not enough and he raised his hand, meaning to caress the soft cheek in front of him, when they were interrupted by Archie, the high school media teacher.**_

"_**Hey Nick, we're starting a game of volleyball. How about you and the new guy joining us?" Archie said sprinting over and extending a hand to Greg. "Archie Johnson, media specialist. Nice to meet you. You game?"**_

_**Greg introduced himself and agreed to Archie's request, before turning to Nick and smiling. "You game too, Nick?"**_

"_**Oh yeah. I'm game. Let's get to it." Nick locked eyes with the cute brown-eyed man and in his own mind the words had double meaning.**_

"_**Cool," Archie responded not picking up on the undercurrents swirling around the other men. "You can be on my team, Greg. You'll find this back to school volleyball game is an annual event. My team hasn't had much luck in recent years, not since Stokes started playing against us. I hope you've had some experience playing, man."**_

"_**I haven't played on grass for a few years, but I'm deadly in the sand. Any self-respecting California surfer boy has to be able to play volleyball," he joked. As Archie turned and headed back to the group standing beside the net set up in the side yard, Greg looked at Nick and smiled. "So you play good volleyball, hey Nick?"**_

_**The tall Texan returned his look with a smile. "Never had any complaints, G. My team wins every year." He paused and asked, "California, huh?"**_

"_**Yeah, born and bred. Took my first steps on Ocean Beach. You sound like you're not from Vegas originally either."**_

_**Nick remembered a moment in his past and smiling he said, "Texas. I took my first steps in a horse paddock. Momma about shot Daddy when I came in with my new white shoes covered in manure."**_

"_**Bet you were a cute baby, Stokes, manure and all." Greg chuckled. **_

_**Nick opened his mouth to respond when Archie yelled over to them, "Come on, guys. Hurry up."**_

_**The Californian smiled at the other man and jerked his head toward the waiting group. "We better get moving." Then he turned and started walking away, leaving Nick to follow along behind, admiring the view.**_

**Nick was brought back to attention when he heard his coworkers clapping for the speaker who was leaving the podium. Damn, he had missed the entire presentation. He hoped it wasn't something too important. He'd have to ask Warrick about it later and use the excuse that he fad fallen asleep. Ecklie was advancing to the front of the stage again and Nick tried to focus once more.**

**He groaned when he heard the superintendent begin talking about budget cuts and the lack of promised state funding. Was this morning ever going to end? Nick glanced at the clock and realized that when Ecklie was finished it would probably be time for their lunch break. He placed an elbow on the arm rest of his chair and rested his chin on his fist. Just another hour, maybe less.**

**Nick felt his attention start to meander again and looking at the blond hair in front of him remembered how the day at Catherine's had ended…. **

_**After watching the young man laughing with his team mates and scurrying all over the improvised volleyball court for almost an hour and a half, Nick decided to invite Greg out for a drink when the cookout was over. He had spent more time watching the blonde's antics than returning the ball and was not surprised when Greg and Archie's team eventually won the contest. **_

_**Nick didn't have a problem with the loss, but it was tradition that the losing team help with the clean-up. He entered into the work without complaint and hurried through the tasks, all the while trying to keep the new chemistry teacher within his sights. He realized when he was almost finished with the tasks Catherine had assigned him that he had lost sight of Greg, along with several of the other guests.**_

_**He wandered over to Warrick who was emptying the now cool coals from the grill. "Grissom leave already?" he asked, not really caring about the biology instructor, but wondering about the young man who had arrived in his car.**_

_**Warrick looked over at his best friend and smiled at the obtuse question. "Grissom left about a half hour ago, but you're not really asking about him, are you, Nick?" The tall green-eyed man smiled sympathetically. He was the only one on staff that knew about the phys ed teacher's sexual orientation and had picked up on the vibrations Nick had been producing all afternoon, coupled with the distracted way he had participated in the game. Warrick knew Nick was crushing hard.**_

_**The dark-haired man cast his friend a look that was telling. "So where is he, 'Rick?" **_

_**Warrick merely shook his head sadly, "Archie was so excited about the win he offered to take his whole team out for drinks. Told Grissom he'd make sure the new guy got home afterwards. Sorry, Nick."**_

"_**No problem, 'Rick. I should be getting home anyway. Tell Cath that it was great as always." He patted his friend on the back and walked sadly to his truck suddenly remembering that the new phys ed teacher had been on the winning team too.**_

**Nick felt movement around him and acknowledged that the other teachers in the room were standing and moving towards the doors at the back of the auditorium. He looked forward to the row where his coworkers had been sitting and saw it was now empty. Damn, he'd missed them getting up. He stood quickly, wanting to find them in the pre-lunch rush so that he might be able to eat with them and, if things worked out, sit by Greg.**

**He turned to make his way out of the row of seats and stopped short. There stood Greg looking at him, his left hand resting on the seat at the end of the aisle. "Hey."**

"**Hey, Nick."**

"**Fun morning, huh?" Wow, I'm just full of scintillating small talk today, he thought disgusted with himself.**

**Greg just chuckled. "I've had more interesting mornings, but patience is its own reward."**

"**What…," he was having trouble making conversation while the young man looked at him like he was the best thing he'd seen all day.**

"**Lunch, Nick," the slighter man laughed. "Grissom said it was going to be catered this year. The school cooks weren't willing to come in on their last day of vacation. Let's go. Gris and the rest of them are saving seats for us." He moved into the aisle and waited for Nick to join him before moving towards the doors.**

**Lunch, damn, thought Nick, kicking himself for wanting to be Greg's reward for sitting through a boring morning of presentations. "Lunch, right. Hope they went with the Italian place again. The lasagna last year was really good."**

**

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Chapter three is being tweaked and will be posted just as soon as I have number 4 fleshed out!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

When Greg and Nick entered the commons they paused to look over the sea of people wandering around. Many were standing in line before the serving tables, while others were sitting or wandering around round tables that had been set up for the staff to sit at while eating their meal. Nick spotted Sara at one of the tables and when she saw him, she waved him over.

"The others are in line. I said I'd save a table for us if someone would get me a salad and water. The entrée is not vegan, not that I expected it to be. I planned ahead and brought something from home." Sara explained.

Nick smiled at her. He loved her ramblings about little things, it reminded him of his sisters back home in Texas. "Are you going to have room for Greg and I at your table, Sara?" he asked. "Or should we find another?"

Sara looked at her friend with a look of surprise. "Have we ever not sat together on the first day, Nick? Don't be silly. There are eight chairs here, and we can borrow some from another table if we need to. Go get in line, boys."

"Thanks, Sara," said Greg. "I appreciate being included in your little tradition."

The dark-haired woman just smiled at him. "Gris has taken you under his wing, Greg. You're family now." She gave him a push towards the dwindling line. "Hurry up before all the good desserts are gone."

Nick and Greg started walking across the commons and met Gris, Warrick, and Catherine on their way back to the table with full plates, followed by Wendy and a clearly disgruntled Hodges.

Warrick smiled at his friend and said, "Missed you this morning, man."

"Got here a little late and sat in the back," replied Nick, not wanting to detail the real reason he had sat alone during the morning institute.

"No problem. Get in line and then head on over." As Greg moved towards the serving tables, Warrick leaned in and whispered to Nick, "I'll try to save you two seats together." He straightened back up and nodded his head over towards Hodges, "Trust you to have the new teacher to mentor with her very own stalker."

Nick just laughed and shook his head at his friend, "Hodges is harmless. Conceited, but harmless." He looked up and saw that Greg was in line and getting his plate. "Better get going and grab some food. I'll be over in a few, 'Rick."

Warrick nodded and headed over to the table, where he made Hodges move to another chair without giving him a reason. No one needed to know at this point that Nick was interested in the new chemistry teacher, at least not until he found out if the new chem teacher was interested in Nick.

* * *

After lunch the staff was supposed to break into groups according to discipline and review curriculum, syllabi, and state learning standards. Doc Robbins had stopped by their table during the meal to ask that Grissom and Nick each spend part of the afternoon with their respective new teacher to go over any questions that had cropped up during the day.

Once the science instructors had spent the better part of two hours doing the required paperwork, Grissom excused himself and Greg, and led the young man back to his classroom. As the biology teacher moved some papers around on his desk and looked over some messages, the blond spent a few minutes wandering around the classroom looking at the wide variety of specimens the older gentleman kept on counters and shelves. He noted the fetal pig in a jar and the large collection of insects pinned to display units.

"It's a Carson Valley Silverspot." Grissom said as he walked up to Greg and saw the brilliant orange butterfly with silver spots on the underside of its wings Greg was focusing on. "Wingspan is about 3 1/2 inches, it lays its eggs on violets and is in danger of becoming extinct here in Nevada." The young man turned questioning eyes at Grissom. "Not enough water. The wet areas are being taken over or are drying up. Too many people changing the landscape, diverting water. We lose too many species of insects every year. It's criminal."

Greg nodded. "I guess I really haven't thought about how difficult it is for the insects in our environment. There always seem to be so many."

"Individual subspecies are those that are in real danger. Some won't even make it on the endangered list before their demise. Many live in such a small geographical area that any change to that environment could cause their extinction."

Grissom looked at Greg intently and asked, "Speaking of geographical area, how are you adapting to the move to Las Vegas, Greg? Have you had any difficulties?"

Even though the newly transplanted young man had only known his mentor for a limited number of hours, he knew that this question was deemed as important to the older gentleman. He had realized immediately that Grissom felt more comfortable discussing scientific topics, than delving into social niceties. If the biology teacher was asking a personal question, then he was interested in the response.

"It's been difficult. Not the actual move. That's been great. I love change and the new city, new apartment, and now a new job, has been exhilarating. But…," he trailed off, looking away from the older man.

"But…" That single word requested and required an answer.

Greg looked over at his mentor, cocking his head and giving a sigh. "I didn't think about the fact that I didn't know anyone in Vegas before moving here. I'm a social guy and used to going out with friends on a regular basis." His eyes drifted away. "I thought about trying out the clubs, but …."

"Greg." Grissom interrupted. The new chemistry teacher stopped talking and looked back at his companion. "Don't go out to the clubs alone. The crime rate here in Vegas is very high. Some of the clubs here have the PD on speed dial. There is safety in numbers and there are lots of single teachers here on staff. Make some friends with your fellow teachers. Most of them know the better establishments to frequent."

The young man wasn't sure if he should assert that he was in fact an adult and capable of making the right choices in his social life, or if he should feel honored that Grissom was making an effort to ensure his safety and ease the loneliness he had been experiencing since his move. He decided to accept the man as a mentor in more than just his professional life. "Thanks for the input, Gris. I appreciate it. I'm not at the point where I'll make any poor decisions yet. I'll give myself time to meet some people around here first."

The older man acknowledged the acceptance of his advice and decided to move on. "Back to work, Greg. Do you have any questions I can answer?"

* * *

Nick closed the three ring binder and looked up at Wendy. "I'm sure everything is clear as mud now," he joked. The dark-haired girl had been attentive and had asked very good questions, but some of the information he had covered would only make sense when circumstances arose that made the knowledge immediately necessary.

"If I have any questions later, Nick, I'll know where to look for the answers before bothering you." Wendy settled back in her chair and placed her hands on the table providing a line of defense between her and her mentor. "Thanks for going over the handbook with me."

He looked at her more closely and frowned. "It wouldn't be a bother, Wendy. What's going on?" He turned his body until it was facing her straight on and rested his elbows on his thighs, leaning forward.

She looked down at her hands and then turned her own body away from the table, facing Nick. "I know you don't like me, Nick, and that's okay. You don't have to like me, but I'd really like to be able to have a professional working relationship with you."

Nick sat up straight, his eyes wide. Had he really made his feelings about Wendy and her interactions with Greg so obvious? He felt slightly sick to his stomach and began to squirm in his chair. It wasn't Wendy's fault that she was a beautiful woman and that Greg seemed to enjoy her company so much. Nick realized that he had to make this right with Wendy before it got more out of hand, even if he had to tell a little white lie.

"I'm sorry, Wendy. I never meant to give you that impression," he looked at her earnestly. "I really didn't. I don't even know you well enough to dislike you in any way. Can we start over?" He extended his hand to her and gave her a big smile. "Hi, my name is Nick Stokes, and you are....?"

The new phys ed teacher hesitated slightly and then extended her own hand out and clasped the much larger hand that was offered. "Wendy Simms. As you get to know me you'll find I'm a little paranoid, Nick. Hope that won't be a problem?"

"Naw, Wendy. I think we have that little quirk in common. Let's just agree to talk about whatever is bothering us, okay?" He smiled at her and readily accepted her nod of acceptance. "So, I know your first impression of me was questionable, but what about the others? Can I help fill in any gaps for you?"

Wendy laughed and her eyes lit up. "So you're willing to dish some dirt, huh Stokes? I guess that does make us friends."

"Well, I won't go into any confidences, Wendy, but if there is anything that is common knowledge, I'm willing to share." The Texan settled back and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair. "Shoot."

Wendy settled in for a good gossip session. "Catherine and Warrick, so what's their deal, Nick?" She leaned slightly forward, an eager look on her face.

He started to chuckle. "Well, they've been attracted to each other ever since I've been around, all flirty and touchy feely, even if they wouldn't admit it to each other. But I think maybe they took a step forward over the past summer. This morning they seemed more attuned to each other. After seeing them sitting so close, I just couldn't go and join them during the meeting. I didn't want to intrude on their new found happiness."

"You could have joined us," Wendy said softly. "I thought you didn't because I was there."

"No, that wasn't the reason. Really, Wendy. Please don't think that." Nick allowed himself another little white lie. "I just needed to sort some things through, and one of Ecklie's meetings is the perfect time to let my mind wander." At least that was true, he thought. He gave her a gentle smile to reassure her. "Okay, next question, Simms."

"Gosh, what is going on with Grissom and Sara. That girl is head over heels, I could see it on Saturday at the cookout, but he's so...so..."

"So Grissom," Nick snorted.

"Yeah! Whatever that really means. He appears kind of disassociated with other people, but I seem to sense a different type of interaction when he's around Sara. He seems more human with her."

Nick smiled in acknowledgment. "I know Sara would like more, but I'm not sure Gris will ever take it any farther. She would be the best thing for him, but I'm not sure he is the best thing for her. I can't make any decisions for her, so I just try to support her and provide a shoulder when she breaks down. That's what friends do for each other."

"Stokes," the new teacher smiled, "you really are a nice guy. I can admit I was wrong about you. If I wasn't already interested in someone, I'd pounce on you like a cat." She playfully pushed against him as she stood and moved toward the door. "I'd love to dish with you some more, but it's getting late and I know you have football practice soon. Maybe we can get together and finish this 'tell all' session another time."

"Uh yeah, Wendy," replied Nick, still sitting in his chair. "Later then. My office is always open." He watched her walk out of the room and slumped back down. So, he thought, she was interested in someone. His mind wandered to Greg. This was going to be harder to deal with than he originally thought.

* * *

AN: So? What do you think? Chapter four is ready to be posted later in the week. ;0)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.**

**Here ya go, Lily G. Hope I didn't make you wait too long. ;0)  
**

* * *

**The rest of the week sped by for the staff and the small group of friends saw little of each other. The first week back at school was always busy and it didn't help that the campus was so spread out and that their lunch periods were not on the same schedule. Most breaks the teachers spent in their individual rooms just playing catch up with schedule changes, student questions, and the never ending paperwork. Friday's lunch seemed to be the exception. **

**Greg wandered into the noisy break room to find it busy with many teachers he had yet to meet. He thought he might take Grissom's advice and try to introduce himself to a few other young teachers and get the low down on the social scene in Vegas. He had put in some long hours over the past week and really needed the stress relief that going out would provide. As he ventured farther into the room he spied Warrick and Catherine sitting over to one side by themselves. **

**Greg waved when the home ec teacher looked up and she motioned him over. "Hey, Greg. I haven't seen you all week. How's it going over in the science department?" she asked, indicating that he should sit down and eat his sack lunch with her and Warrick. The green-eyed man nodded at him, offering his own bag of corn chips. Greg declined the offer of the snack and settled down and opened his lunch. **

**"Busy, Cath. I'm really enjoying it, but I am sooo ready for the weekend. I'm going a little stir crazy in my apartment. I really want to go out and mingle with some other adults. Do you have any suggestions for a club I could check out on my own?" he looked at the blond woman wistfully. He had hoped that by now he would have had a chance to spend some time with Nick, but although the other teacher put in long hours at the school, many of them were spent in the gym or out on the football field. **

**Catherine opened her mouth to answer his question, but the driver's ed instructor was first with a response. "How about going to the football game with us tomorrow, Greg? I bet we can get a group to go out afterwards." **

**Warrick knew he could get Nick to agree to going out and really didn't want the young man sitting across from him to meet someone in a club before his best friend at least had a chance to investigate a relationship with the new teacher. He hoped that the time they would spend in the car driving to and from the out of town game would give him an opportunity to delve into Greg's interests a little deeper. **

**Greg looked at the tall man and smiled. "The football game? I'd love to go, Warrick. Is that okay with you, Cath?" He looked at her eagerly and her first thought was he looked like a puppy at the pound hoping to be adopted. Catherine realized that he must be lonely, and although he was too old to be her child, she decided that she was going to be the one adopting the new teacher.**

"**Greg, just make sure we get your address and phone number before you leave today and we'll get everything set up. I think going out after the game sounds like fun. Lindsey's staying overnight with a friend tomorrow night, so I'm free as a bird," she replied.**

**Greg gave her a questioning look and asked, "Who's Lindsey?"**

**Warrick gave a chuckle. "Lindsey is Catherine's daughter. She is one of the football cheerleaders. So no staring at the young ladies in the short skirts tomorrow, Greg." **

**Catherine gave Warrick a nasty look. "Don't even go there, 'Rick. I'd dress her in a nun's habit if I had my choice."**

**Her companion laughed out loud and smiled at the blue-eyed woman. "Lindsey dresses just like you, Cath. And while you're not happy with her wardrobe, let me just say, I'm definitely happy with yours."**

**The home ec teacher turned to elbow the joking man, but stopped when she locked eyes with his. Her eyes softened and she unconsciously leaned closer to him. "You like what I wear?" she asked quietly.**

"**Yeah," came a whispered response. **

**Greg shifted uncomfortably in his seat and took a bite of his sandwich while glancing around the room at the other occupants. He mentally tried to put names, or at least disciplines, to as many faces as possible. He was pleased to find at least a few that he could identify before a cough brought him back to the couple across from him.**

"**Sorry, Greg." Catherine said softly.**

**Greg smiled at her. "No problem, Cath. You two are really lucky to have found each other. I can honestly say I'm a little jealous of you both. I've spent a few years testing the waters, but haven't been able to find anyone that could make me feel the way you two looked just now. Don't let me, or anyone else, deny you the opportunity to share those moments with each other."**

**Catherine felt her heart catch at his statement. She leaned forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Greg, we are going to change that for you, sweetie. Just let Auntie Catherine do a little planning." She turned to Warrick to give him a peck on the cheek and didn't see Greg's face pale. "Oh, I gotta go, I have a student coming in. Get Greg's info, okay?" She gathered up her lunch debris and with a wave to the new teacher swept out of the room. **

**Greg looked over to Warrick with wide eyes and whispered, "Auntie Catherine?"**

**The other man just laughed. "Let me know when she crosses the line, okay Greg? That woman is definitely a planner. I'll try to influence her anyway I can, but you'll have to let me know what floats your boat. There's nothing worse than getting setup with someone that doesn't attract you in the least."**

**The young man just nodded his head, but didn't provide any information other than his address and phone number before leaving the break room for the safety of the crowded hallways and a classroom of teenagers registered for advanced chemistry. **

**Warrick got out his cell phone and began texting his best friend.**

* * *

**Nick left the entire football team and his assistant coaches sitting in the AV room with Archie watching video of the opposing team they would be facing the following afternoon. He used the excuse of a bathroom break, but headed down the hallway in the opposite direction towards Warrick's classroom. **

**The two men had made plans to meet immediately after school, however the tall, green-eyed driver's ed teacher had a student stop in unexpectedly and before he was free, Nick had to leave for football practice. Warrick couldn't wait around until Nick was done with practice, as he had plans to take Catherine and Lindsey out to an early dinner, before the younger female went out with friends her own age. So here was Nick sneaking down the hallway like a freshman girl without a hall pass on her way to talk to her BFF about her latest crush.**

**He poked his head into the classroom and spied Warrick writing in his lesson plan book. "Is the coast clear, 'Rick?" he asked. When his friend nodded his head in assent, Nick entered the room and closed the door, crossing over to sit on the top of the desk closest to Warrick.**

"**So what's so important that you'd term it life or death, man. I really gotta get back to practice. Did you and Catherine have a fight or something?" Nick tried to focus on his friend, and not the clock on the wall behind Warrick's head.**

"**Greg," was all he said.**

**Nick's attention was suddenly centered on Warrick with no thought of the clock or the football players waiting for him down the hall. "What about Greg."**

**Warrick looked at his friend and decided it would be a little fun to play with Nick's head. Just a little, not enough to cause him pain, but maybe enough to earn him a good chuckle, or two.**

"**He came into the break room today and asked Catherine for the name of a club where he could go to spend time with other adults. Said he wanted to go on his own, mingle. Mingle, Nick. With other adults. I wonder what he meant by that?" Warrick watched Nick's jaw clench and could almost see the wheels spinning in the phys ed teacher's head. He started to feel a little sorry for his verbal jab, when he saw pain in the brown eyes trained on him. "Don't worry though, man, I had your back."**

**The Texan stood up from his seat on top of the student desk and approached the grinning man. "How did you have my back, 'Rick?" He didn't elaborate, he just waited for a response from the man across from him who was enjoying drawing the interchange from the break room out.**

"**I invited him to the football game tomorrow with Cath and I, and told him I'd talk to some coworkers about going out as a group tomorrow night. So how about it, Nick. If I babysit Greg tomorrow afternoon, do you want to go along tomorrow night and take over the night shift?" he smiled at his buddy and was glad to see a huge grin in return. **

"**Thanks, 'Rick. I'd like that. I wanted to talk to him several times this week, but could never find him in his room when I had some free time. I didn't think to get his phone number on Monday. I almost broke down and called Gris for it, but was afraid Sara would be around and she would definitely question that request."**

"**Well, I can hook you up with his phone number and address, Nick." He handed his friend a slip of paper. "But I have to warn you, Catherine has made Greg her new pet project. She has decided that little Greg needs to find someone special so he won't be so lonely. I guarantee you she is right now, at this very moment, making a list of every single girl she can think of that might put a smile on that chemistry teacher's face. You better move quick, or Catherine will take your legs from under you without even realizing it."**

**Nick walked over to the window and rubbed a hand over his face, his eyes not even focusing on anything outside the glass. Warrick could tell his friend was trying to make an important decision. When he turned from the window, Nick looked at Warrick with resolve in his eyes. "'Rick, maybe it's time that someone other than you knows about my sexual preferences."**

**Warrick nodded his head and gave Nick a look that said, it's about time. "Catherine is good at keeping secrets, Nicky. She loves you like a brother and will fight for your happiness. Anything you tell her will only make things easier for you in the long run." **

**He paused, and then continued. "If you had been honest with her earlier, she wouldn't have tried setting you up with so many women the first few years you taught here. She only gave up because she was running out of single women to push at you."**

**Nick gave a slight shudder. "There were so many. I didn't know someone could have so many single friends."**

"**If you had been honest with her, she would have set you up with single men instead, Nick. She knows plenty of them too. That little fact has driven me crazy for years." Warrick shook his head in laughter. "I'll try to tame down any plans she is cooking up for tomorrow, but I have to warn you, she may have already put some in motion. You need to talk to her as soon as possible."**

"**Okay 'Rick, I'll have a little heart to heart with her as soon as I can. I just want to do it face to face so that I can gauge her reaction." Nick wasn't looking forward to the encounter. He had experienced the same discussion a few times back in Dallas, before moving to Vegas, and those talks had never ended well. In fact those very discussions were the impetus for his move to another city. Hell, to another state.**

**Warrick knew this was a very tough decision for his friend to make and wanted to lighten the mood before sending him back down the hallway to his assistant coaches and players. "Don't worry Nick, Catherine loves you. Maybe not as much as she loves me, but that's understandable because you won't jump her bones and make her scream with pleasure. But she still loves you like a brother. It's all good, man."**

**Nick gave his best friend a snort and shook his head. "I gotta get back, Warrick. They are all going to think I have the world's worst case of diarrhea or have spent the last half hour jerking off. Either way, I have to get back. Please try to rein in Catherine for at least twenty four more hours, okay."**

"**I'll do what I can." As Nick headed toward the door, Warrick gave a snort and one final parting shot, "A half an hour jerk off, Nick? In your dreams."**

* * *

**Greg was in the shower and didn't hear it ring, but the message that was waiting for him when he checked his phone before getting into bed made him smile. "Hey Greg, it's Nick. Talked to Warrick about Saturday. If I don't get a chance to talk to you at the game, I'll definitely see you tomorrow night. Can't wait to see you." **

**Greg placed the phone on the nightstand beside his bed and pulled the covers up over his body. He snuggled down under the comforter and gave a relaxed sigh. It was the first time in over a week that he didn't feel lonely in his own apartment. Life was good.**

**

* * *

**

**AN: Anyone up for a game of football? ;0) **

**Reviews appreciated.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

AN:

Lily, glad I made your day with the last chapter. :0)

Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Warrick had to stifle a chuckle as he looked in the rear view mirror at Greg. The young teacher was literally bouncing on the backseat, wearing ear buds and moving to some music that the driver probably wouldn't even recognize. Here the young man complained about loneliness, but he sat in the car isolating himself with his music.

The green-eyed man looked over at Catherine and nodded his head towards the backseat and raised his eyebrows in question. She acknowledged his request and turned slightly in her seat to get Greg's attention.

"Hey Greg. Greg!"

Brown eyes snapped forward and met Catherine's blue ones. "Sorry," he said as he removed the ear buds and turned off the iPod. "Did you say something?"

"I was just wondering if you were going to be listening to that the whole way, or if we were going to get a chance to talk." She smiled at the young man.

Greg moved to put the electronic equipment away in his bag as he reddened in embarrassment. "I was trying to give you two a little time together. I know that bringing me along wasn't your first plan for the day. I didn't mean to be antisocial."

Warrick looked into the rearview mirror again and made eye contact with Greg. "Hey man, if we hadn't wanted you to come, we wouldn't have invited you. Cath called to see if Gris and Sara wanted to ride along too, but Sara said Grissom wanted to stop along the way and check out something to do with bugs. I told her they'd have to drive themselves, because I know if Gris stops they will be late for the game, if they even get there at all."

The chemistry teacher laughed. "That man does like his bugs, doesn't he?"

The couple in the front seat agreed, and Warrick continued, "Of course Nick usually goes on road trips with us, but he had to ride the players bus. It left a few hours before we did."

Greg looked out the window for a moment before responding, "Nick ever bring along a date on those road trips?" He continued to look out at the passing desert, not wanting anyone in the front seat to see how important the answer to the question was to him.

"Not for quite a while, Greg," said Catherine. "But I'm hoping the new girl's phys ed teacher will make an impression on him. They'll be spending quite a bit of time together this fall." She turned again in the seat to look at Greg. He felt her movement and answered her look with his own. "Did you know that Wendy is the coach for the football cheerleaders?"

Greg shook his head. "No, I hadn't heard that little tidbit." He paused and then continued. "That would be nice for Nick. She seems sweet."

"I invited her along tonight, along with some of the other single teachers, so we'll see what happens. I keep trying to set that man up, but he keeps shooting them down. He must be extremely picky." Catherine smiled at Greg.

Warrick snorted from the driver's seat. "Maybe you should just let Nick decide who he wants to see socially, Catherine. He evidently doesn't go for the type of person you envision him dating."

The blond shot Warrick a dirty look that said, watch it buddy if you want to get lucky tonight. "One of these days I'm going to get it right. Just watch and see, 'Rick."

"Yeah Catherine, I know you will, but before you put your plan for world domination into motion would you please just sit down with our friend and ask his what he wants in a lover." He made it more of a command, than a request. "Talk to Nick, please."

She slumped in her seat. "Oh alright, spoilsport." After a few moments she sat up straight again and turned back to Greg. "If I can't make any plans for Nicky until I talk to him, then I guess I'll have to start with Greg." She raised her eyebrows and gave the young man a devilish grin, "So Greg, what kind of girl turns you on."

Greg's eyes widened and he looked toward the rearview mirror to meet Warrick's green eyes. "Sorry," the driver mouthed, as the chemistry teacher tried to scramble for an answer.

* * *

Greg made sure to sit beside Warrick on the stadium bleachers and not Catherine. He was trying to avoid the continuation of the conversation she had initiated on the drive to the football game.

As soon as the car was parked in the opposition's parking lot, he had almost leapt from the vehicle and sprinted to the box office. Every time there was a break in the game, Greg managed to talk to someone, anyone other than Catherine. He had made so many trips to the concession stand that he had begun giving away the treats he was purchasing to anyone within reach.

Half-time had been the worst. Catherine had begun introducing him to every single female between the ages of twenty and forty. He had met fellow teachers, single parents, recent alumni, and even one really scary woman that had grabbed his ass as he tried to move past to his seat.

Yes, Warrick was right. Catherine was a planner and she was definitely on a mission. Although he knew that Nick was going to be present tonight wherever the group was going, Greg was almost afraid to attend. Catherine was going to be pushing Wendy at Nick, and the chemistry teacher was scared to think what the home ec teacher had planned for him.

As the seconds on the scoreboard ran down, Greg realized that the opposing side was not going to be able to make their much needed play to regain their lead. Nick's team was getting a win in the first game of the season.

He looked down to the sidelines wanting to see Nick's reaction to the end of the game and felt his breath hitch when his eyes finally settled on the football coach. Nick was not watching the scoreboard, nor was he looking out on the field. His eyes were on the bleachers, but not just the bleachers, they were looking in Greg's direction.

The second that Nick realized Greg was looking at him, the chemistry teacher was rewarded with a huge grin. Greg returned the smile and gave Nick a small wave. He watched as one of the assistant coaches came up and patted Nick on the back and began talking to him. Nick listened to the man beside him, but continued to look at Greg for a few more moments. Before breaking eye contact, Nick raised his eyebrows and the grin became slightly more intimate.

As he turned away, Greg took a deep breath and turned to find Warrick watching. "He's a good guy, Greg."

"Uh, oh Nick? Yeah, I kinda already thought that, Warrick. He's … a …nice guy." Greg began fumbling for words.

"Catherine's right. He deserves to be happy. He just needs the right person." Warrick leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Catherine didn't see that little interchange, Greg. You don't have to worry about her discussing it all the way back to Vegas."

Greg's head snapped up as Warrick straightened, his brown eyes gave the impression of a deer caught in the headlights of an eighteen-wheeler.

"It's all good, Greg. He's a fine looking man. If I didn't have Catherine, I might even be crushing on him." Warrick grinned evilly.

The young man's head was telling him to lie to Warrick and deny the implied accusation, but he couldn't. He swallowed deeply and looked down the row of seats. "We better go. Catherine's disappeared."

Warrick realized the moment to discuss the look that had crossed between the two men was over. "She went to the little girl's room so that we wouldn't have to stop on the way home. She's gonna meet us at the car."

Greg nodded and moved away. "Think I'll make a pit stop too. I'll catch you at the car." He walked quickly away trying to decide if he should fake sleep on the way home. It would be a good excuse to avoid talking to either of the two teachers who, albeit in different ways, were trying to hook him up.

* * *

As Warrick and Catherine dropped Greg off at his apartment with the promise of picking him back up in a couple of hours, he attempted to dissuade them. "You don't know your way around yet, man. Let me drive." Warrick repeated for the third time. "I'll be your designated driver. Come on Greg, you said you needed to get out. This way you can drink if you want. I'll make sure you get home safe."

Catherine snickered. "Maybe you'll get lucky and you won't want to deal with a second car."

"Cath, let it rest." Warrick gave his girl friend a long, stern stare. "If you keep this up, you'll have Greg backing out of the evening all together. It's not funny anymore."

The blonde's eyes immediately took on a hurt appearance as she realized that Warrick was upset with her. She looked back at Greg and saw him staring out the window with a pained expression on his face. The hurt look left her face and was replaced with a look of compassion. "I'm sorry, Greg. I can get a little carried away sometimes." She tried to ignore the snort that came from Warrick at the phrase 'a little carried away'. "No more pushing from me tonight, I promise. We'll be back at eight thirty, okay?"

"Yeah, eight thirty. Thanks for the offer of a ride. I really do think I could use a few drinks tonight." Greg exited the vehicle and walked slowly towards the apartment building.

"I really am sorry." Catherine said to the empty backseat.

"I know you are, honey. It'll be fine. I just think he's coming down from a sugar high. Did you see how many times he left to go to the concession stand?" Warrick patted the blond on the knee and changed topics. "Lindsey was going straight to Carol's house after the game, right?"

Catherine turned to smile at her lover. "Yeah the house is empty and we have a couple of hours to get dolled up before coming back to pick up Greg. Do you have any suggestions on what we should do to fill in the time?"

Warrick put the car into gear. "I'll let you have thirty minutes to get dolled up, beautiful. The remainder of that time is mine as payment for being the designated driver tonight. I'm collecting my payment in advance."

Catherine grinned and returned his right hand to her knee. "If you're a good boy tonight, maybe there will even be a tip at the end of the evening," she teased.

Warrick waggled his eyebrows at her and retorted, "Oh I plan on being a very good boy tonight, Ms. Willows."

They were both laughing softly together as the car pulled away from the curb.

* * *

Warrick walked to the kitchen for privacy as he waited for Catherine to finish getting ready for their evening of clubbing. He pulled his cell phone out and punched in Nick's phone number, looking around the corner to make sure he was still alone, as he waited for Nick to answer.

"Hey 'Rick, what's up?" said Nick upon answering his phone.

"I think you have a green light, man."

"Huh? What are you talking about, 'Rick? I haven't left home yet."

"Metaphorically speaking, Stokes. Green light means go, right?" Warrick was having fun at Nick's expense, much like Catherine had earlier with Greg. He could hear Nick's exasperated sigh.

"Okay, one. Greg didn't want to, or couldn't give Catherine any information on the type of girl he would be interested in, and she pressed hard, man. Two, he appeared upset when Cath mentioned trying to hook you up with Wendy. Three…

Nick interrupted, "He likes Wendy, 'Rick, and I think she likes him. That's why he was upset."

Warrick cut him off. "I don't have time to discuss this, Nick. Catherine will be downstairs in a couple of minutes. Let me finish, man."

"Okay, shoot."

"Three, there was your moment."

"My moment? What are you talking about, 'Rick?" Nick sounded confused.

Warrick chuckled. "Your moment, man. No wonder you are still single." He heard a clearly disgusted man on the other end of the phone line. "That look you shared with Greg at the end of the game. Are you telling me that was nothing?"

There was a long pause and Warrick thought maybe their phone call had been disconnected before Nick replied. "You saw that?"

"Hell yes. I don't know if anyone else caught it. I know Catherine didn't, but it was out there, man. Anyone looking in the right direction could have picked up on it. You may have outed yourself, Nick."

"Shit." The phys ed teacher sighed deeply. "Well, if I did, I did. I'll deal with that later." He paused again and then asked, "How did Greg take it?"

"Well he didn't deny anything when I called him on it."

"You did what!"

"I said you were a fine looking man and I might be crushing on you too if I didn't have Catherine. He didn't deny he was crushing on you, man."

"Ah." It was such a simple statement, but Warrick knew it held so much thought.

Suddenly Nick said, "Uh 'Rick, what you said about crushing on me…."

Warrick immediately cut into his train of thought, "Just working him, man. I'm so not there. No worries on my part."

Nick laughed at his friend. "Glad to hear that. I wouldn't want to lose my best friend, because you don't float my boat, 'Rick."

"And I'm mighty glad to hear that, Nick." Warrick glanced around the corner of the kitchen door. "Gotta go, man, Catherine's coming. We're off to pick up Greg. See you later."

"Later, 'Rick." Nick closed his phone and smiled. Maybe tonight was going to be fun. He hoped he could arrange to drive the new chemistry teacher home at the end of the evening. He definitely would be sure to keep his alcohol consumption to a minimum. Sacrifices would be made.

-------------------

AN: Sorry, Kira. The horny adults and alcohol come in the next chapter. :P


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

It was still fairly early so Warrick, Catherine and Greg had no trouble getting into the club. Greg volunteered to head over to the bar and get the first round, while the other two tried to determine if any of their friends had made it there before them. Warrick finally gave up trying to look over the heads of the assembled patronage and pulled out his phone.

As Greg walked back over and passed the couple their drinks, Warrick pointed over to the left. "I called Nick and he said they were at a table over along the west wall." He reached out and took Catherine's hand and started to move through the crowd, Greg trailing along behind.

When the crowd shifted and Greg was almost cut off from Catherine and Warrick, the blond stretched her free arm out to the young man. "Stay with us, Greg, at least until we get to the table. That way you'll know where to find us if you want to go exploring later."

"Okay, Auntie Catherine," he replied taking her arm with a smile. They locked eyes and the home ec teacher knew she was forgiven for her earlier behavior. She squeezed his hand to her side, letting him know she understood the comment for what it was.

Arriving at the crowded table, Greg saw several faces of which he was already familiar, including Sara, Grissom, Nick, Wendy, Hodges and Archie, but there were also three other women he had not yet met. Catherine introduced him to the women and he found himself sitting at the opposite end of the table from Nick flanked by two of his new acquaintances. Talking in the club was difficult due to the noise level, but he found that the brunette on his left was Mandy, who worked with Hodges in the math department, and on his right was Riley, who worked with Sara in the social sciences department.

He looked down the table to see Nick sitting between Catherine and Wendy. The blond was engaging the couple in conversation and Greg felt an almost knife thrust pain in his stomach as he watched Nick smile at Wendy and touch her arm. He noticed Hodges, who was sitting on the other side of Wendy, grimace. Poor Hodges, he didn't stand a chance with Wendy if Nick was in the picture.

Greg didn't want to sit there looking down the table mooning over Nick so he chatted with the girls sitting at the end of his table and immediately switched to hard liquor when the waitress came over to take their order. After awhile he turned to Mandy and asked, "How about a dance?" She nodded and they rose and moved to the dance floor.

For the next couple of hours he drank and danced and drank some more. He danced with every female at the table, some of them more than once, until finally he stopped asking them to dance with him and just moved off across the floor dancing by himself, losing himself in the music.

* * *

Nick sat and talked to the people sitting at his end of the table, watching as Greg continued to pull up the females at the table to dance. He was frustrated by Greg's actions, and the way Catherine kept trying to keep him and Wendy interacting was slowly driving Nick insane.

He finally had enough and asked Catherine to dance. It wasn't a song that he normally would have picked when asking his best friend's girlfriend to dance. It was a slow song, being played at a lower decibel level, which would make it easier to talk without screaming. He moved them to an area of the dance floor that was slightly less crowded and gave her a smile.

"Catherine, I want to thank you for always thinking about me and trying to fix me up, but I want you to stop doing it as of right now. No more double dates with your friends. No more making sure I'm sitting by a single girl if there is one available. No more matchmaking of any kind. Do I make myself clear?" He looked her in the eyes and saw her concern at his words.

She gave him low laugh. "Okay Nicky, maybe I haven't made the best choices for you over the years, but if you'll give me an idea of what you really like, then I'm sure that I can find the right girl for you. Give me another chance, please. If you don't like Wendy, there is a new stylist at my hairdresser who's single."

"Catherine," he began, "it's not about what I like or don't like in a girl. That's not the problem."

"You know, Nicky. You're not getting any younger. It's okay to play the field when you're in your twenties, but, come on Nicky, it's time to settle down," she gently argued. "Come on, tell me what part of a woman turns you on the most so that I have an idea what I'm working with here."

"Catherine," he tried again, "it's not about the parts I like, it's more about the parts that I don't like, and …. the parts that are missing."

She looked at him confused, not understanding what he was trying to tell her without him saying the actual words. "Nick? I don't…"

He stopped dancing and just stood there with his hands on her waist. Nick smiled at her and said, "I enjoy dancing with you, Catherine, because you're my friend, but…." he looked around the dance floor and pointed to a couple dancing slowly about ten feet from them, "if I had a choice of slow dancing with someone, I'd pick the one in the red shirt."

Catherine raised a fist and lightly jabbed Nick on the arm, "Silly boy, she's wearing white."

"I know," he said quietly. Her eyes jerked up to his quickly, her mouth forming a perfect oval.

She placed a hand on his cheek, "Oh Nicky. Why didn't you tell me? I've been parading women in front of you for years. I'm so sorry you didn't feel safe enough with me to tell me something that important."

He brought her close and hugged her. "It's not that I don't feel safe with you, Catherine, I just haven't had good feedback when I've shared that bit of information about myself in the past. Hence, good-bye Dallas, hello Vegas."

"Well that was Dallas' loss and our gain, Nicky." She smiled at him. "By the way, I know some fabulous boys I could…."

Nick put a finger to her lips. "Catherine, I kind of have my eye on someone right now. Could you give me a chance to see if it works out before you try matchmaking again?"

Catherine raised her eyebrows in interest. "Well, I guess I could wait to see if it works out, but if you'd like my help….."

"Not now, Catherine, please."

Just then Warrick appeared behind Catherine. "Hey Nick, can I have my girl back, man?"

Nick smiled at his best friend and nodded. "Yeah, Cath and I had a dance and great talk. I'm ready to move on." He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the dance, Catherine."

She smiled at him wistfully as Warrick turned her into his body. As he was turning her, he looked at Nick and jerked his head off to the right, raising his eyebrows. Nick turned to look at what he was indicating and saw Greg moving slowly to the music. He was sans partner and Nick thought he had never seen anything look so sexy in his entire life.

Greg's face was flush and his eyes were closed. Nick watched slim hips grind the air as the young man's head lolled to the side. He felt Warrick give his back a gentle push in Greg's direction and he started forward towards the young man. As he approached Greg he noticed another man advancing on Greg from behind. Nick walked a little faster and just before the man could put his hands on Greg, he caught the man's attention and rudely indicated he should just keep on moving.

Nick wasn't sure he wanted to out himself, but all he wanted to do was move behind Greg and wrap his arms around him, pulling him close to his body. He mentally shook himself and realized that this was not the time or place to try and seduce the young man.

He stepped forward and placed a hand on Greg's shoulder, his pulse racing as the new teacher opened his eyes and slowed his movements. "Hey Greg."

"Hey Nick," the young teacher responded in a low sultry tone. "This place is nice."

"Yeah, it is, but wouldn't you like to come back over to the table for awhile? I could use someone to protect me from Catherine's matchmaking," Nick asked wanting to have Greg close to him.

"If I'm gonna come back to the table, I'll need a couple more drinks," he replied. "I tried to make Catherine happy and I danced with all her friends, but I'm just not ready for whatever else she is expecting of me tonight." He closed his eyes again and shook his head. "That woman is deadly. Auntie Catherine, right. Madame Catherine is more like it."

Nick laughed out loud. Even inebriated Greg was able to hit the nail head straight on. "It's okay, G. I'll protect you from all those girls. Let's get you a soda and we'll sit back down." He placed a hand on the younger man's back to urge him towards their table when he saw a waitress heading that direction. Greg's shirt was warm and damp, and Nick fought the urge to smooth the moist fabric as they crossed the dance floor.

When they reached the table Nick sat down in his chair and pulled Greg down into the seat Catherine had been sitting in before getting up to dance. He ordered two sodas from the waitress and felt his spirits lift. He had Catherine off of his back, at least for the moment, and had just discovered that Greg was not interested in any of the four unattached females sitting at their table. Adding all that to the fact that they had won the football game today and Nick felt that he had just hit the trifecta.

* * *

Nick could tell later when Catherine and Warrick came back to the table that Nick's sexual orientation had been discussed between the two. The air between his friends was strained. He hoped that his friend was not in the doghouse for having kept the secret for so long. If Warrick was smart he would have told a little white lie and admit to having just found out recently. Knowing Catherine, she wouldn't like to know she had been kept in the dark by Warrick.

There were several empty chairs at the table when his friends returned, so Catherine didn't complain about her chair being taken. She merely sat on the other side of Warrick in the chair Archie had been occupying. Presently Archie and Mandy were out dancing, as were Hodges and Wendy. Riley and the other female teacher Catherine had invited along had since moved on to sit at the bar claiming all the men at this table were cramping their style.

"I love this song," announced Greg when the music changed. He started to move in his chair and began humming the tune to himself. Sara took pity on him and said with a chuckle, "Come on Greg, I think I have one dance left in me." She took his hand and led him out onto the dance floor.

The remaining four tablemates just watched them and smiled as Sara tried to keep up with the young man's movements.

Grissom sighed, "Ah, to be that young and free again."

Catherine turned to look at the graying man and said with exasperation, "How can you, of all people, say that, Gris? You have a beautiful young woman who thinks the sun rises and sets just because of you. You have an opportunity to feel young and free again, unless you choose to waste it. Get your head out of your ass and make a commitment already. Sara's not going to take second place to your bugs forever."

The three men at the table stared at Catherine as she burst into tears and stalked away from the table. Warrick looked over at the biology teacher, "Sorry Gris, she's just a little upset over something I said. She didn't mean it."

Grissom nodded, looking out on the dance floor. "She's right though, isn't she. We don't always like hearing the truth, but she's right." He paused and looked at Warrick. "Take her home, 'Rick. She's probably waiting at the door."

Warrick looked out at the dance floor. "We brought Greg…."

"I got it taken care of, 'Rick," Nick announced. "Take Catherine home and tell her I'll call her tomorrow. I'll make sure Greg gets home safely."

"Thanks, man. Tell everyone we said good bye." He moved off through the crowd in the general direction Catherine had taken.

"Gris, it…." Nick was cut off by the older gentleman.

"There will be no more discussion on what was said here tonight, Nick. It didn't happen. Is that understood?"

The dark haired man nodded and turned to smile at the returning couple. Sara had an arm around Greg's waist and he appeared to be stumbling slightly. "It seems our new chemistry teacher has been mixing a few different alcohols tonight, and the mixture is not proving to be a good combination," she informed the two men remaining at the table.

Nick moved to Greg's side and slid an arm around his waist, taking the weight off of Sara. "Guess I better get him home while he can still walk," Nick laughed. He looked at Sara and answered her query before it could even be asked. "Cath and 'Rick had to leave suddenly, so I'm Greg's taxi service."

She nodded at Nick and then looked at Gris. "How about we let the others know we're all leaving then?" He agreed. Sara indicated the dance floor, "I'll go find some of the others out there. Why don't you check the bar?" She turned to Nick. "Go on, we'll pass along your good byes to the others."

Sara patted Greg's shoulder and leaned in, "Feel better, hun. Next time there'll be no hard liquor for you." She kissed Nick on the cheek and with a smile to Grissom moved back onto the dance floor to find the rest of the remaining group.

Grissom walked with Nick and Greg as far as the bar area. "See you boys on Monday." He put a hand on Nick's free arm, "Make sure he gets inside safely, and don't leave him alone if he looks like he's going to get sick." Nick nodded in response and continued walking the young man towards the door.

He managed to keep Greg's feet shuffling along as they crossed the parking lot and the phys ed teacher rested the young chemistry teacher against the side of his truck while he unlocked it. As Nick was sliding the inebriated man into the truck, Greg turned his head to look at the Texan and smiled. "Finally got rid of the ladies, huh?"

"Yeah, G. Left all the ladies behind." He leaned into the truck stretching across Greg's lap to fasten the seatbelt when he felt a warm, wet tongue slide along his jaw line. He turned his head to look at the young man and felt soft lips meet his gently. Those pink lips kneaded his slightly, but before Nick could move into the kiss more fully, Greg sat back and the Texan felt the loss of contact intensely.

"Good." With that simple statement Greg's head slid sideways and he passed out, Nick still leaning across his body.

Nick backed out of the passenger seat and closed the door as quietly as he could. He stood against the side of the vehicle and rested his forehead on the top edge of the truck. Damn, Greg will probably not even remember that in the morning, he thought. Damn, damn, damn.

* * *

.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

reposted to correct a typo!

* * *

Nick put the truck into gear and drove out of the parking lot, when he suddenly realized he didn't have Greg's address. Of course Warrick had given it to him the afternoon before, but that scrap of paper was presently sitting on his kitchen table where he had left it after calling and leaving a message for Greg the night before.

He stopped at a red light and pondered his possible alternatives. After playing out a variety of scenarios in his mind he just decided to take Greg back to his house. He'd put the young man to bed and make sure he didn't aspirate any vomit if he got sick. Tomorrow when Greg woke up he would give him a ride home. That seemed like the most sensible plan.

After a short while he pulled into his driveway and turned off the truck. Nick looked over at the man in the passenger seat and smiled. He looked so young and vulnerable with his face shadowed in the dim light from the streetlight a couple of houses down. Nick reached over and ghosted his thumb over the slightly parted lips and sighed.

"No", he told himself out loud as he pulled his hand away. "I want him awake the first time I kiss him. I want him awake and fully participating."

Nick exited the cab of the truck and went to unlock his front door, before coming back and lifting Greg out of the vehicle. The young man was not too heavy for Nick to carry, but his height made the transfer awkward. Nick managed to get Greg into the house and closed the door with his hip. He made a mental note to come back and lock the door after settling the sleeping man for the night.

He continued down the hallway, walking somewhat sideways, so as not to bump Greg's head or feet into a wall. Maneuvering through the bedroom doorway, Nick placed the young man on his bed and stood breathing heavily. While Greg had not been too heavy to carry initially, the distance had taken its toll and Nick needed a few minutes breather before continuing.

Nick walked back down the hallway and made sure the front door was locked, before returning to the bedroom. Nick stood there debating with himself how much clothing he should remove from the young chemistry teacher before covering him with the comforter.

He decided that the jeans, along with the shoes had to go, and moved to remove them. Nick wouldn't allow himself the luxury of ogling the young man and pulled the comforter up immediately to cover those long legs with a heavy sigh. Next Nick debated on the shirt, finally deciding that Greg would probably sleep fine with the shirt on.

Nick went to the kitchen and pulled two bottles of water from the refrigerator. He left one on the counter and took the second one into the bathroom where he pulled a bottle of aspirin from the medicine cabinet. He took the water, aspirin and the empty trash basket from the bathroom back into the bedroom.

He set the trashcan beside the bed in case Greg woke up sick in the middle of the night, and put the other two items on the nightstand where Greg could see them upon waking. Then Nick reached over and turned on a low-wattage light on the opposite side of the room and turned off the overhead light. He stood and looked at the man who had become the object of his sexual fantasies over the past week asleep in his bed, wrapped in his comforter, his head on his pillow, bathed in soft light.

Nick bit back a groan and closed his eyes. Images swept across his closed eyelids and he suddenly realized his hand had unzipped his pants and was slipping inside. His eyes snapped back open and he pulled his hand out from inside his pants. With a mental shake he turned to pull a pair of pajama bottoms from a drawer and left the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

He entered the bathroom and tossed the sleep pants on the counter before turning on the water. Nick took a quick shower, knowing if he stayed too long in the warm spray that he might not have the resolve to refrain from touching himself while thinking about the man in his bed. Just having Greg there in that vulnerable state made Nick feel as if touching himself would be like taking advantage of him.

After toweling himself off and putting on the pajama bottoms, he walked back to the kitchen to drink the bottle of water he had left on the counter. The cool liquid felt good on his throat and he started to relax. He moved into the living room and pulled a throw off of his favorite recliner on his way to the couch. Before settling himself for the night, Nick turned the television on and muted the sound. If Greg got up during the night Nick wanted a little light sprinkled throughout the apartment, so that he could move around without injuring himself.

Nick rested his head on the low armrest of the couch and shook the throw over his body. He turned to look at the ceiling, as light and shadow reflected from the television danced across the expanse. He closed his eyes and the last thing he remembered before drifting off to sleep was the moment in the truck when those soft lips had touched his own so tenderly.

* * *

Greg's first thoughts as he awoke was that he shouldn't open his eyes. The first small ray of light that filtered in caused his brain to seize up in pain. He pulled the comforter that was covering his body up over his head and, in the semi-darkness, willed his aching head to ease. He lay there mentally assessing how bad his pains actually were. His head was pounding and his stomach felt a little nauseous, but he'd felt worse after a night out, so he knew he'd live.

As he lay sheltered under the blanket, he suddenly realized that the coverlet that he was hiding under wasn't his own. The bed beneath him felt different and the smells coming from the bedding were not his. "Oh shit," he muttered. Greg realized that he had not made it home last night, but in fact was in someone else's bed. He froze wondering if he was presently alone and tried to assess his current situation. Fear settled in the pit of his stomach when he realized he felt sheets, not jeans, against his legs. His pants were gone! 'Holy crap', he thought to himself, 'what did I do last night!'

He listened carefully and couldn't hear anyone else breathing in close proximity and slowly pulled down the comforter in order to take a quick peek around the room. Greg took a deep breath of relief when he realized he was alone. He gingerly sat up and looked down at his body. He was somewhat relieved when he saw he still had on his shirt and boxers, and almost gave in to a chuckle when he saw socks still covering his feet.

A glance around the room did not answer any of the questions that flooded his aching head. He noticed a bottle of water and another of aspirin on the night stand. Greg thanked whoever had left them and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for both. After taking a little more than the prescribed dosage of pain reliever, Greg looked around the room again. There were no clues to the identity of the owner of this room, but he did see his jeans draped across a chair, with his shoes sitting neatly beneath.

Greg stood and crossed the room to pull on his jeans and noticed the lamp that had been left on during the night. He reached over to turn it off, before picking up his shoes. He walked towards a door that stood ajar, hoping it would provide him with the means of finding a bathroom. Immediately across the hall was an open doorway and Greg realized he had found his intended goal. He stepped inside the room and closed the door.

After relieving himself, Greg looked around the bathroom. He could tell it was not a guest bath, as there were bottles scattered across the counter top and along the edge of the tub. Greg did not see any 'girly' items like make-up or curling irons and suspected that he hadn't awoke in the bed of a female. He looked in the mirror and, after washing his hands, ran his still damp fingers through his hair trying to fix the mess that he was seeing in reflection. He gave up the futile gesture and turned to stare at the door.

He knew that when he left the safety of the bathroom he would probably come across the owner of the big, soft bed somewhere in an adjacent room. His mind struggled to remember what had happened last night, but the final memory he could envision was dancing with Sara, her laughter teasing him as she tried to mimic his moves. He looked around the bathroom again. Sara definitely wasn't a 'girly girl', but he still didn't think this room belonged to her.

Greg decided that he wasn't going to hide out in the tiled room any longer and opened the door. He didn't hear any movement outside the room and began to hope that maybe he was alone in the residence. If he could just find out who had brought him to their home, he could decide on a plan of action. If it was a friend he could thank them and move on, and if it was someone he didn't even know, he'd just slip out and walk until he could find a bus or a taxi. Perhaps he would see photograph on a wall or a shelf that could help him determine a plan of action.

He began to slowly walk down the hallway, his ears and eyes seeking clues as he moved. At the end of the short hallway, Greg realized he had entered the main living area of the residence. He glanced around and didn't see anyone. His eyes took in a comfy looking recliner and the back of a long couch, both of which were facing a television sitting in an large multi-shelved entertainment center. Greg saw there were photographs dotting some of those shelves and with his eyes trained on them he entered into the room more fully.

He crossed the room, his eyes scanning the photos. There were several pictures of people he didn't know, but Greg drew a breath of relief when he saw a few photos containing the faces of some of people he had been with previous evening. One of his new friends had taken pity on him and brought his drunken ass back to their home. Greg said a silent thanks that he had not woken up in the abode of a complete stranger. He wondered which of his new friends had gotten the duty of baby sitting last night.

His question was answered when he heard, "Hey Greg."

* * *

Nick awoke when he heard the toilet flush in the hallway bathroom. He waited to see if Greg was going to come out into the living room, or if he was going to go back and crawl into bed. If Greg felt bad enough that he needed to lie back down, Nick didn't want to make him feel as if he had to stay awake just because his host was awake too. He reached for the remote and turned off the silent television.

He heard the bathroom door open quietly and then strained to hear whether Greg went back into the bedroom. It was so quiet. Nick couldn't determine where the young man was in his home. He was just about to sit up when he saw Greg enter the living room, his eyes focused on the entertainment center, totally missing Nick stretched out on the couch.

He watched as Greg stepped up to the entertainment center and began looking at the photographs scattered upon it. Nick smiled, the young chemistry teacher was trying to find a clue where he had woken up. His confusion was adorable. He decided to take pity on his guest.

"Hey Greg."

Greg's body jerked as he twisted around to find the source of the voice. He realized that the living room was not as empty as he had first thought. The back of the couch had hidden Nick's body from sight. And what a body it was.

The Texan was sprawled out on his back with a throw tangled around his legs, his bare feet peeking out from the too short covering. He had one arm behind his head and the other resting along side his body, the attached hand splayed out and positioned where the throw and pajama bottoms ended and taut stomach began.

Greg gulped and stammered, "Hey Nick. What… what happened last night?" He caught himself staring at the muscled chest and his face reddened in embarrassment. He tried to look Nick in the eyes, but became even more flustered when the older man rose from the couch and stretched his back.

Nick was enjoying the younger man's obvious embarrassment and thought the flush on his face was very appealing. He wondered if Greg's face flushed that color during sex and suddenly he was the one becoming red in the face.

"'Rick and Catherine decided to leave unexpectedly while you were dancing with Sara. When you got back to the table you were having a hard time walking, G. Too much to drink, I guess. Once I got you into my truck you passed out and I didn't know where you lived. I just thought it would be easier bringing you back here." Nick purposefully left out some of the details of the previous evening. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh yeah, thanks. I appreciate the ride, Nick, but you didn't have to give up your bed. You could have dumped me on the couch, I probably wouldn't have even felt the difference."

Nick just smiled at the young man. "Naw Greg. Company always gets the bed in the Stokes household. My momma taught me right."

Greg nodded his thanks and looked away from the Texan. "I was pretty out of it last night, Nick. Did I say … or do anything that I'm going to regret?" he asked hesitantly. He shifted his eyes back over to Nick, trying hard to look him in the eye and not focus on his bare torso.

Nick smiled. "No worries, G. I didn't see or hear anything that I thought was out of line. But even if you had your secret would be safe with me."

Greg nodded again and pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans. "I'll just call a cab and get out of your way, Nick. I really appreciate everything, but…"

The older man had a moment of panic. He didn't want Greg leaving his house so quickly and so he interrupted his friend, "Don't go yet, Greg. How about I make us some breakfast? Do you think your stomach could handle something? Maybe some eggs, or some pancakes?"

Greg blanched at the first suggestion. "Not eggs, Nick. I can't even think about them after I've been drinking." Nick could see him visibly trying to put the idea of eggs from his mind before he became ill.

"Pancakes it is then, G." He started to move toward the kitchen and stopped, turning back to Greg. "How about a shower while I mix the batter? I probably have a pair of sweats that would fit you. It might make you feel better." He didn't wait for an answer, but walked down the hallway towards the bedroom to gather clothes for Greg.

The young man stood in the hallway not exactly sure how to react to the idea of showering in Nick's bath. He almost turned to head back down the hallway and out of the front door, when Nick placed a stack of clothes in his arms. "Just wear whatever comes closest to fitting. There are fresh towels and a new toothbrush in the bathroom closet. Help yourself to whatever you need."

With that Nick headed towards the kitchen as Greg stared at his bare back before it disappeared around the corner. Clutching the clothing to his chest, Greg entered the bathroom for a second time and after closing the door rested his forehead on the cool tile. 'What am I doing here?' he thought. 'I must be crazy.' He took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror, and said softly, "If you run out of here now, he's going to know something is wrong, Sanders. Get it together. It's just a shower. It's just pancakes." Yeah, he said silently to himself, pancakes being cooked by a half naked hunk, like that happens everyday. He reached in to turn on the water.

Greg stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tub, letting the water cascade over his head and shoulders. He reached over and picked up a bottle of shampoo that was resting on the side of the tub. Nick had said to help himself to whatever he needed and Greg needed to do something about the remnants of last night's hair style.

He began lathering up his hair and brought his hands to his face, sniffing the scent of the shampoo. There was something vaguely familiar about the scent. His mind struggled to remember where he had smelled the odor before now. Suddenly it hit him, Nick's hair last night. He had smelled Nick's hair when he had been buckling Greg's seatbelt. When Greg had given in to his urge to run his tongue along Nick's jaw and then, kiss his lips…

Greg backed up against the tiled wall and then sank down to the floor of the tub. Water from the shower rained down on him, but he didn't feel the spray.

* * *

AN: Kira, I don't mean to leave cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter. It just seems to be where my chapters naturally want to end. Blame them, not me! ;o)


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

"Greg, are you alright in there?" Nick knocked on the bathroom door. He'd been waiting for what seemed like forever for the other man to exit the shower and come in for breakfast. He knew the size of his water heater and was positive that that the water currently flowing in the shower had to be ice cold. "Greg?" There was no answer, but Nick thought be heard a movement. "I'm coming in."

"No!" The water stopped running and there was muffled movement from behind the door.

Finally. Nick allowed himself to breath when he realized that Greg was not lying unconscious under the cold spray. "Are you okay, G?"

After a hesitation the older man heard, "Yeah, I'm fine. I won't be long." The voice seemed detached, and Nick wondered what had happened over the last half hour to cause the shift.

Nick paused with his hand on the frame of the door. "I'm going to finish the pancakes. If you aren't out here in five minutes, I will be coming in." He patted the door frame and with a sigh turned and went back to the kitchen.

Greg looked in the mirror, the cold water had cooled the air in the bathroom and the mirror was clear from condensation. He had a towel wrapped around his hips and another draped across his back trying desperately to get warm. He wasn't sure what had happened to him in the shower, but he realized that he must have been sitting on the floor of the tub for quite some time.

As he dried himself off he sorted through the pile of clothing on the counter. His hands stopped when he realized that Nick had placed a pair of black cotton boxers in the pile of clothes he had given Greg. The young man pulled them to his chest and smiled. 'Didn't think I'd get into his pants this morning,' he thought to himself with a chuckle.

He pulled on the undergarment, along with a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt, then opened the package containing the new toothbrush he had found in the bathroom closet beside the towels. Greg quickly brushed his teeth and when he was finished, placed the toothbrush on a clean wash cloth. He wasn't sure what to do with it.

He ran his fingers through his damp hair, unable to get style that satisfied him. Giving up, he shook his head back and forth, his wet hair swinging free before settling down in random disorder. That was better. He fought back a shiver as his cold body struggled to get warm. He gave thanks that the aspirin he had taken earlier was finally starting to dull the ache in his head.

Greg knew that Nick would soon be coming to drag him out of the bathroom. He had to go face the Texan. It had been bad enough earlier, when all he could remember was being drunk, but he was nervous to face Nick now with the memory of his behavior in the truck the previous night. Greg gathered his clothing and opened the bathroom door. He walked down the hallway and placing the bundle on the back of the couch, turned to enter the kitchen.

Nick was just taking a small pitcher of syrup out of the microwave. He carried it and a platter of pancakes to the table as he turned towards Greg. Smiling, he looked at how his clothing hung loosely on the young man's slighter frame. "You okay, Greg?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I took so long," he answered. "Guess I must have zoned out or something. I used up all the hot water. Sorry, Nick." The phys ed teacher noticed that Greg looked everywhere, but at him.

The older man was concerned about Greg's demeanor, but just shrugged at the comment. "No problem. The water heater is small, but that just means it heats back up quickly. I plan on replacing it with a larger one when it dies. Sit down. What would you like to drink? I got milk, orange juice, coffee...."

"Coffee, please." Greg interrupted. "Lots and lots of coffee."

Nick turned towards the coffee pot and laughed. "So that's what makes you so hyper. You're a caffeine junkie." He placed a large mug of coffee in front of his guest. "Do you need anything in it?"

"Just black," Greg answered. He grasped the mug and started to raise it to his lips, but his hands still shook a little from the cold and he sloshed some of the hot brew onto the tabletop. "Oops, sorry."

Nick reached out and took the mug from his hands to set it back on the table, and in the process touched his arm. "Greg, you're freezing."

The young man didn't look up. Yes, he was cold, but he wasn't sure if his hands were shaking from the ice cold shower he had just had, or if they were shaking because Nick was standing inches from him clad only his sleep pants. Greg knew that if he looked up his face would be inches away from Nick's washboard stomach. "I'll be fine, Nick. A little hot coffee and some food and I'll be back to normal."

Nick walked away from the table and left the kitchen. He came back moments later with a sweatshirt. He moved to the far side of he kitchen and opened a door. Greg saw a stackable washer and dryer in the alcove. Nick threw the sweatshirt into the dryer and turned it on. Turning he made eye contact with Greg. "Get some pancakes on your plate and get started, G."

Greg nodded and looked back to the table. "Nick,..." he started.

"Just eat, Greg. Don't worry about whatever is bothering you. We're cool." Nick pulled the warmed sweatshirt from the dryer and handed it to Greg. "After we eat and I get cleaned up, why don't we get out my XBox? And if you want to stick around for the Dallas game we can order takeout later."

Greg's head snapped up. "Yeah? You're sure you wouldn't rather I just call a taxi and let you spend your Sunday in peace?" He thought that Nick must be making an idle gesture of friendship and wanted to give the man an out.

The dark haired man shrugged his wide, muscular shoulders and grinned at the wet-headed man, "I'd rather spend it with you, unless you'd rather go home?"

Greg grinned back. "Naw. Video games, take out and football sounds great. Thanks for the offer, Nick." He realized that whatever faux pas he might have made the night before had been forgiven.

Nick's grin grew wider at Greg's response and he noticed a large drop of syrup on the young man's chin. "Eat your pancakes, G, and try to get your food into your mouth," he joked.

The chemistry teacher swiped his chin with the back of his hand with a smile, finally realizing that he had warmed up, as he reached for his mug of coffee.

* * *

As Nick left to take a shower, Greg straightened up the kitchen then walked back into the living room. He took his bundle of clothing off of the back of the couch and set it on the floor by the door, before settling himself down onto one end of the sofa. He pulled his legs up and slouched down sideways, thinking I'll just close my eyes until Nick comes back out.

* * *

Nick gathered his clothing and hurried into the bathroom. He didn't want to spend too long getting cleaned up, as the last time he'd left Greg alone his attitude had changed dramatically. Nick had managed to smooth things out again, but he didn't want to have to start from square one after his shower.

Stepping out of the shower, Nick wrapped a towel around his waist and approached the sink. He reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste and as he began to brush his teeth, noticed the new toothbrush laying off to the side on a folded wash cloth. He paused, staring at the lone toothbrush on his counter top.

Suddenly a smile lit his face and he finished brushing his teeth with a flourish. He rinsed his brush out and then rinsed his mouth using the cup his brush had been resting in. With measured movement, Nick placed his toothbrush back in the cup and then, grinning, he placed the second brush in the cup also.

He looked into the mirror and realized he was happier right now than he had been in a very long time. Quickly he dropped the towel and pulled on his clothing. Greg was waiting and Nick was excited to spend the day with the young man.

Nick quickly straightened the bathroom and after putting his dirty laundry in the hamper went to find his house guest. He expected to hear the television, or maybe even the sounds of a video game beginning, but the living room was quiet and at first Nick thought it was empty. Nick's eyes scanned the room and came to rest on the couch. Greg was curled up in as small a ball as his tall frame would allow on one end of the piece of furniture, his arms bent and held close to his chest. In the over-sized clothing he gave the impression of a child wearing his big brother's clothes.

Nick thought that last night as Greg slept he had looked vulnerable, but sexy. Today, dressed as he was and curled into the fetal position, Nick thought he looked sweet and innocent.

He looked at the clock and decided to let Greg sleep for a couple of hours. He had some papers to grade and needed to make the promised call to Catherine. After which he might have to call Warrick and apologize for whatever had happened between him and Cath because of Nick's admission.

Nick picked up the throw he had used the night before and carefully placed it over Greg's sleeping form. He picked up his cell phone and moved back to the bedroom so that his voice would not bother the sleeping teacher.

* * *

"Hey Nick." Catherine's voice was low and sexy. Nick smiled. Catherine's voice, when she talked on the phone, always sounded like she had just had the best sex of her life. Warrick had once confessed that he would call to talk to Catherine even when he knew she was in the next room, just to hear that voice.

"Hi Catherine. I…"

"Nick, stop. I'm sorry about how I acted last night. Hell, I'm sorry for the last few years. Sometimes I can be such a know-it-all-bitch." Catherine paused. "I wish I could blame my parting remarks last night on alcohol, but I guess I just felt so damn guilty for all my matchmaking antics in regards to you that I just exploded. I'm sorry."

Nick felt awful. "Cath, I never intended to make you feel bad. I just decided that I needed to be honest with you. I should have been honest years ago. I haven't been actively closeted, I just haven't been involved with anyone in a really long time. I'd like to be myself around my friends, and you and Warrick are my closest friends in Vegas."

Catherine listened and realized that Nick was asking for her approval in his own ass backward way. "Nicky, when you ask that guy you're interested in out on a date, Warrick and I would love to double with you." She giggled a little. "I'd never admit this to 'Rick and I'll deny ever saying it, but… the idea of two good-looking men together is kinda hot."

"Catherine!"

The home ec teacher laughed out loud. "Just remember Nicky, I'm here, whatever you need. I love you, sweetie."

"I know you do, Cath, and the feeling is mutual." He took a breath and asked, "So are you and Warrick alright after last night?"

"Oh yeah, Nick. Like I said I wasn't mad at anyone, but myself. I just needed to move past my idiocy. I called Gris this morning and apologized for what I said. He took it really well. Sometimes I think that I shouldn't be let out in the public."

"Well okay Cath, I just wanted to check in. I'll see you tomorrow," he ended the call and walked out into the living room.

Greg was still asleep, so Nick picked up his briefcase and walked into the kitchen to sit at the table. He looked at the clock and realized he had a couple of hours before the football game he wanted to watch started. He pulled out a stack of papers and settled down to grade as many papers as he could before kickoff.

* * *

Nick had been grading papers for about an hour when he heard a noise from the living room. He stood and walked in, realizing it was Greg's phone vibrating on the coffee table. He looked at the sleeping man and saw that the noise had not been loud enough to disturb him from his slumber. Whoever it was would probably leave a message or call back later. Nick shrugged and returned to the kitchen to finish his paperwork.

After another hour, Nick had put away his school work and was contemplating waking Greg. He figured that if the young man didn't wake soon, his sleep cycle would be grossly screwed up. As he went to wake his friend, the door bell interrupted his plans. Nick glanced at the couch as he went by and saw Greg begin to stir at the disturbance.

Nick crossed the room and opened the door. Warrick stood there holding up a twelve-pack of beer. "I brought the beer, man." He entered the house, shoving the alcohol into Nick's arms. "I tried calling Greg to join us, but he didn't answer."

When he noticed Nick's confused look, he said, "Dallas game, right. You invited me last week."

Recognition flooded Nick's eyes. "Yeah, of course Warrick. Just zoned out there for a second. Come on in." He stepped back allowing the green-eyed man to enter more fully.

At that point both men heard a noise coming from the middle of the room and turned to see Greg sit up on the couch, stretching his back. Warrick smiled at the Texan. "Oh, I see Greg already made it." Nick looked back a little flustered.

Greg stood and turned towards the two men, placing the throw on the back of the couch. "Sorry, Nick. I guess I was more tired than I thought. Oh hey Warrick. Are you here to play video games before the game?"

Warrick took in the young man's too-large attire and chuckled. It was evident that Greg hadn't made it home last night. "I think you must have slept longer than you think, Greg. The game starts in fifteen minutes."

"I slept two hours? Oh man, I'm so sorry, Nick." Greg looked guilty.

"No problem, G. You were tired. I was just going to wake you up so that you would be able to sleep tonight." He moved to the kitchen. "I'll just put these in the refrigerator." He turned to Warrick before leaving the room. "You want one now, or do you want to wait for the pizza?"

"Have you ordered it yet?"

"Naw. I'll do that now before the game starts." He paused waiting for Warrick's answer.

"I'll wait." Warrick looked at Greg. "Is there anything you don't like on your pizza, Greg?"

"Eggs," said Nick, as he left the room to put the beer in the frig.

Warrick started at Nick's rejoinder and turned to look at Greg. He caught the young man looking toward the kitchen doorway and smiling outrageously.

"Eggs?" The confused man asked.

Greg pulled his attention away from the empty doorway and looked at Warrick. "Nick's just being silly. Anything's fine on my pizza. But I think he's right, let's not get eggs."

Warrick just shook his head at the interchange. Eggs, indeed.

* * *

The three men watched the football game and ate their pizza when it arrived. Greg refrained from partaking in the beer, instead settling for cola, much to Warrick's amusement.

Warrick purposely sat in Nick's recliner, although he usually sat on the couch, which meant that Nick shared the sofa with Greg. He noticed that Nick didn't complain to his best friend about the seating arrangement, even though the occupancy of the recliner had been discussed at length on previous visits. The driver's ed teacher was enjoying watching the sideline entertainment in Nick's living room, as much as that of the game on the screen.

At the end of the game, Warrick volunteered to give Greg a ride home. Nick had given the green-eyed man a dirty look, but Warrick had just smiled and told Greg that it was no problem. Warrick was not sure what had happened in the hours after Greg and Nick had left the club and his own arrival earlier that afternoon, but whatever it was, it was evident that Nick was not ready for it to end. Time to help a brother out, he thought.

"Next Sunday, Stokes?" he asked Nick and was rewarded with a nod. "Cool. Maybe we can order Chinese? You like Chinese, Greg?" When the young man nodded in agreement Warrick smiled to himself. Maybe if Nick asked nicely Warrick could find a reason to back out of the plans at the last minute. Catherine wasn't the only matchmaker within their little group.

He headed out the door followed by Greg, who was carrying his clothing from the night before and still wearing Nick's too large clothes.

* * *

AN: Thanks to my reviewers! Especially to Lily, who caught my typo last chapter! I'm trying to keep up the writing, so that I can keep up with the 3x a week posting. Hope you enjoy! ;0)


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Okay, I don't text, so I used an online text transl8er. Any mistakes can be attributed to it. LOL

* * *

As his first class of the day filtered out of the classroom on Monday morning, Greg pulled out his cell phone to check his messages. He smiled, there was a text from Nick. '_lnch. break rm. 2day?_' His smile turned into a frown and he texted back. '_can't. skool ppr nu teacha intRvw._' Greg paused and decided to reciprocate the question. '_2moz?_'

He had to put his phone away before receiving an answer, as the students for his second class began to enter. Greg turned his attention to the teenagers and began to return their graded homework.

* * *

Nick felt the phone in his pocket vibrate as he watched his second class enter the locker room to change into their gym clothes. He moved into his attached office and pulled out his cell to check his incoming message, but before he could even open the phone he was notified of a second message.

He flipped open the phone and gave a grunt of disappointment. Tomorrow he had plans to eat with his assistant coaches to go over possible new plays for Saturday's game. The phys ed teacher texted back, '_sry coaches mtg_.' He debated suggesting Wednesday, or trying to get together sometime before then in the evening, when he realized that his students were waiting and looking at him as he stood staring at his phone.

"Need some help with that, coach?" One of the students nodded at the phone. "Those can be pretty tricky," he laughed.

"Hardy har har," Nick responded, pocketing the object of their attention. "You just earned yourself an extra lap, Carlson." He ran his eyes over the group of boys and acknowledged a sigh of resignation from the culprit. "Hit the track, then meet me in the weight room. Move it!"

Nick followed the boys out of the building and walked towards the track. He felt frustrated, and angry at himself for taking that frustration out on a student. Nick dropped his clipboard on a nearby bench and bent to stretch his calf muscles. He decided to pick up the runners when they made their initial lap.

As the first of the group started to pass by, Nick joined the fray. A little run and some time with the weights might help relieve the tension he had been feeling. He tried to let his mind wander free as his feet rhythmically hit the ground, but it kept wandering back to a wild haired, brown-eyed man with a crooked smile.

* * *

Greg sat down at the table across from a reporter from the student newspaper who had introduced herself as Beth. This wasn't something he was looking forward to, but Grissom had said it was an initiation rite of sorts within the district.

"Be polite and be honest, but don't give out any information that you want kept private, Greg," he had said. "Pour a little chum in the water and the sharks will circle you." Grissom had laughed at Greg's panicked face before leaving the room.

So here Greg sat, as the young girl set up her recorder and opened her pad of paper. "So Mr. Sanders, I hear you came to us from California?" Her statement sounded more like a question.

"Yeah, I'm originally from San Francisco. I grew up there and spent some time back in Frisco after I graduated from Stanford. My parents and grandparents are still there."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm an only child. Maybe that's one reason I became a teacher. Growing up I was often alone. Now I'm surrounded by kids."

The reporter nodded. "Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of work, Mr. Sanders?"

Greg nodded. "I'm a music aficionado. My collection could probably rival a music store. I like most genres, but my secret vice is heavy metal." He paused, "I love watching action flicks, playing video games and dancing. My favorite thing to do in California was to wake up early, sit on the beach, and watch the sun rise before spending the day surfing." He chuckled. "Haven't found a decent wave here yet."

The young girl laughed at his comment. "I guess that would be difficult, this being the desert and all. Any other likes or dislikes?

"Let's see. Likes….A really great cup of coffee, calorie-laden sugary pastries, and good friends. Dislikes….Cheap coffee, a steady diet of healthy food, and being alone for long periods of time. Oh, and sometimes eggs."

"Eggs?" She looked at him with a confused stare.

"Yeah sometimes, especially the ones with the runny centers."

Greg waited for another query, but the young girl seemed to be thinking. "Do you have any more questions, Beth?"

She started and sat up straighter. "Oh yeah, those questions were just the ones my girlfriends wanted me to ask. I still have to get answers to the ones my editor requested."

Greg sighed and slumped down into his chair. This interview was going to take his whole lunch break.

* * *

At the end of the day Greg sat and looked at the cell phone in his hand, willing it to ring. Would making another attempt to get together for lunch look too eager? Before he could talk himself out of it he punched in a message and hit send.

At the same time Nick was finally acting on his decision, and as he punched the send button, his phone began to vibrate. He quickly read the incoming message, '_Wed lnch?_', and smiled.

Greg also received an incoming message immediately after sending the Wednesday invite. '_dinA fri nyt?_' He let out a loud whoop and gave a fist pump, before quickly answering the question. He only touched a couple of buttons, '_yes_'.

The Texan let out a huge sigh when the second text arrived. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath. He typed in one last message before heading to the football field for practice, '_CU Wed wl mke plnz thN_.'

* * *

As Nick entered the break room on Wednesday, he saw Greg sitting there, but he wasn't alone. He seemed to be surrounded by their collective friends. Sara sat on one side of him and Catherine on the other. Nick saw that Warrick and Grissom were also in attendance.

The phys ed teacher grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it over, chuckling inside as he observed Warrick scooting over and pulling Catherine along with him, leaving an opening beside Greg. "What's up?" he asked as he sat down.

"Greg was just filling us in on his interview for the school newspaper. It seems like it might read like a pre-teen magazine article," Warrick laughed. "Mr. Sanders' turn-ons include puppies and kittens, his turn-offs include rainy days," he continued in a falsetto voice.

"Stop, Warrick. Please," Greg covered his face with his hands and lowered his elbows to the table.

Nick turned to look at him and couldn't resist a grin. "So does this Pulitzer Prize winning article come out in Friday's edition?"

Greg removed his hands from his face and sat up straight. "Yeah. Gris warned me about the whole thing, but the questions seemed innocent enough at the time. Didn't realize she was asking questions posed by her girlfriends, not ones okayed by the editor."

The teachers at the table began snickering again. Catherine decided to get in one more twist. "They generally use a picture along with the new teacher interview. Did their photographer stop by your room?" When Greg shook his head to the negative, Catherine just smiled. "They must have gotten a candid when you weren't looking."

Greg just groaned and the others laughed at his discomfiture.

"On another note," Grissom began, "one of my former students gave me six tickets for the opening of a new theater on the strip for Friday night. We wanted to see if you four would like to join Sara and I. We enjoyed getting together with you all last weekend and would like to repeat it on a somewhat smaller scale."

Warrick and Catherine looked at each other and without even expressing words came to an agreement. "We'd love to, Gris. Thanks for including us." Catherine knew now that the acceptance of her apology last Sunday was honest, not that Gris was given to deceit, but it was still nice to know for sure.

Grissom looked at Nick and Greg, who was busy stirring his leftovers from the night before. "Sorry, Gris. I already made plans for then and invited Greg along. Of course, if he'd rather go to your thing, I'd understand," Nick said leaving an opening for the new teacher to change his plans.

Greg gave Sara and Grissom an apologetic look. "Maybe some other time?"

"Sure, Greg," answered Sara. "Just don't let Nick take you out drinking. You don't seem to have much tolerance for the hard stuff. You could barely walk out of the club last week."

"Don't worry, Sara. I'll keep track of him," Nick laughed, as Greg glowered at the sociology teacher. He looked over at Gris. "Why don't you offer those tickets to Wendy and Hodges? They seemed like they were getting along well last week."

The biology teacher looked over at his significant other and she nodded at him. "I'll see Hodges after lunch. I could talk to him, Gil." She looked over at Catherine and Warrick. "You two okay with that?" They nodded. "I'll handle it then."

Warrick stood and pulled Catherine up after him. "Come on, you promised me samples of the desserts your cooking class made this morning." He waved to the others at the table. "See everyone later." The blond smiled to her friends and followed Warrick as he left the table.

After a few more minutes of small talk, both Sara and Grissom said their good-byes and left the table also. Greg and Nick sat silently for a few minutes, before Greg broke the silence, "So, you'll keep track of me Friday night, huh?" He looked over at Nick and smiled.

Nick smiled back and waggled his eyebrows, "I won't let you out of my sight."

* * *

On Friday night Nick knocked on Greg's door and smiled at the young teacher when the door opened. "Hey Nick, come on in," the young man offered.

"Hey Greg." Nick entered the apartment and glanced around. The living area was neat, but spartanly furnished. There was a worn couch and side chair sitting around a coffee table with a water-stained top. A television sat on a side table, with a game console sitting on the floor beneath. On one wall Nick saw a large shelving unit covering the entire surface that was filled with cd and dvd cases. "You weren't lying in your interview when you said that your music collection would rival a store." He crossed to the shelving unit and ran a finger across the edge of one row of cases.

Greg smiled at the Texan who was clearly amazed by the amount of music contained on the shelves. "I really have to watch myself. I have an addictive personality. Right now my addictions are expensive coffee and heavy metal. In college I fought the demons of tequila and hardcore punk. I like to think I'm maturing."

Nick turned to look at Greg and grinned. "You slipped a little bit there on the tequila front last week, G."

"Yeah well, I'm a work in progress." He walked over and leaned against wall. "So Nick, you didn't tell me where we are going tonight. How's a guy supposed to know what to wear?"

Nick slowly looked Greg up and down, taking in the dark jeans and red tailored shirt, and gave him smile. "You look great, Greg, I wouldn't change a thing." His voice caused goose bumps to rise on Greg's arms.

Greg smiled at Nick and levered himself up from the wall and walked across the room stopping directly in front of the Texan. "So what exactly is going on here, Nick? Is this just a guy helping a new coworker to acclimate, or is this something more?"

Nick swallowed deeply and raised a hand to trace a finger along Greg's cheek. "If I just wanted to help a new coworker to acclimate I could have asked Wendy out."

"So it's more?" he asked quietly focusing on Nick's face.

"I'd certainly like it to be, Greg." He started intently into the other man's eyes. "How do you feel about that?" His heart beating rapidly as he waited for an answer.

"I think that's a very good answer, Nick. I'd have to give that an A+ on the Sanders grading scale." He gave Nick a dirty grin and moved to go around him, heading towards the door. "I hope that wherever you're taking me has good coffee, I don't feel the need to regress to tequila again tonight."

Nick followed him to the door and replied, "That's good, G. I think we need to keep you away from the demon tequila." He stopped and put a hand on Greg's chest. "Although it was incredibly sexy seeing you in my bed last week, the next time you're there, I'd rather you not be passed out."

Greg leaned forward and in a low voice whispered in Nick's ear. "Don't get your hopes up tonight, Tex. I don't put out on the first date." He nipped at Nick's ear and quickly moved away and opened the door. Stepping outside he turned and waited for Nick to regain his equilibrium and join him in the hallway.

After Greg locked his door, Nick placed a hand on the younger man's back and escorted him down the hallway. "So G, how many dates are we talking about here?"

Greg's laughter could be heard by several of the tenants as the couple exited the building.

* * *

AN: The entire next chapter is devoted to their first date. So, Kira I'm going to apologize right now. LOL ;0)

Thanks for all the postive reviews, you make a girl want to write!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Okay, I apologize for the texting in the last chapter. I was just trying to write a scenario where the boys had a little frustration connecting, and it jumped back to bite me. Even though I don't personally text, I do see coworkers of all ages engaged in the practice. That said, I should have given my readers translations of the messages.

Hope the format of this chapter doesn't throw anyone off track. I wanted to highlight the most important parts of the evening, while still keeping a large portion of the chapter more vague. I didn't want to write down every second in detail. Keep an eye on the italics, as I switch from past to present tense a few times. Does this make sense? LOL

Hope a whole chapter on the first date makes up for any bad 'texty' feelings! Enjoy! ;o)

*standing here nervously crossing my fingers*

* * *

As he lay in bed Saturday morning, Greg replayed the previous evening in his head. He smiled remembering what a really great time he'd had on Friday night. Nick had started the evening by taking him to a small family-owned Italian restaurant where he had enjoyed the cheese-laden lasagna and tiramisu immensely. And as a huge bonus to the meal, the coffee there was fabulous.

It had been evident that Nick was a regular, because the owner had come out and chatted with them about their food and then had congratulated the coach on last week's football game, asking what the team's chances were for the following day. Greg had loved sitting back and watching the dark-haired man go on and on about his team and their chance for a state run, his eyes sparkling the entire verbal exchange.

Nick had been entertaining and there had been no lulls in the conversation. Greg learned about Nick's family back in Texas and the single child envied the other man his childhood full of brothers and sisters. He listened to the Texan describe the ranch where he grew up, and based on his words Greg could almost envision it in his head.

Although Greg had encouraged Nick to talk about himself as much as possible, the phys ed teacher had been as equally inquisitive into Greg's pre-Nevada days. He had asked about the Californian's parents and grandparents that had been mentioned in the school article, and had asked for information about his college days, calling them Greg's 'Demon Tequila Years'.

The conversation had flowed easily and when dessert dishes and coffee cups were cleared away, Nick had stood and held out his hand. "How about we move on to the second part of the evening?"

Greg hadn't needed to be asked twice. He didn't want the evening to be over and would have gladly participated in any activity Nick had planned, if only to prolong the date with the handsome Texan. He had taken Nick's hand and allowed himself to be led back out to the truck.

Twenty minutes later, Greg had been surprised when Nick had pulled into a brightly lit parking lot. He'd turned to look at Nick and grinned, "Sammy's Fun Zone, huh?"

_Nick grinned back, "Yeah, are you up for a little friendly competition, G?"_

_"Always. What type of competition is available here at Sammy's?" he asked opening his car door and exiting the followed suit and walked around the truck to Greg's side. "Well, there's miniature golf, go karts and some crazy-loud games in the arcade. Does any of that appeal to you, or would you rather go somewhere else?" _

_Greg started to laugh. "I've already had great coffee and a fantastic meal, and now I get to play video games and race go karts. This might be my perfect date. I just have one question."_

"_What is it, Greg?"_

"_Is this golf course nine or eighteen holes?" the young man asked biting his lower lip.  
_

"_Eighteen, why?" the dark-haired man queried.  
_

"_Then this is officially the perfect date, Nick." At Nick's look of puzzlement, Greg grinned. "I get to watch you bend over and pick up that golf ball at least eighteen times. Gotta be the best date ever, Nick."_

As Greg went to make coffee, he had to smile remembering Nick's face at his comment the night before. It had held a look of pure lust and need. The chemistry teacher had merely taken the other man's hand and led him toward the entrance, chattering nonsense about the last time he had played miniature golf.

Nick had paid for two deluxe packages, each of which had included eighteen holes of golf, three kart rides and a packet of tokens for the arcade. By mutual agreement they had decided to play golf first and Greg had snagged a purple ball along with his putter, teasing Nick that it was a well-known fact that golfers who used a brightly colored ball were much more likely to win. The other man had merely smiled and said, "We'll see about that, Greg."

It was only after a few holes that Greg had realized there was no way he was going to beat Nick's score. It wasn't that Nick was such a good miniature golfer, but more of the fact that Greg couldn't keep his mind on the game. Every time Nick had bent down to place his ball on the tee, he'd managed to reset it at least three times, until he had it just where he wanted.

It had been pure torture for Greg and he realized that Nick knew exactly what he was doing to the new teacher. Several times Greg had caught Nick secretly smiling at the young man after finding his gaze glued to the Texan's ass. Finally Greg had given up even trying to win and had just settled back to enjoy the view.

After golfing, the two men had wandered over to the go kart track and had watched a few races trying to decide which karts they wanted to drive. Once they had their choices made they had gotten into line and, as they waited for their turns, they had talked.

"_You surprised me Wednesday when you suggested to Grissom that he give those tickets to Wendy and Hodges. Last weekend I thought that you and Wendy were going to hook up," Greg said casually, trying to keep the question out of his voice._

_Nick looked closely at the other man. "Naw, that was Catherine's doing. I was never interested in her that way. In fact, prior to that evening I thought you were interested in her."_

_Greg gave the dark-haired man a stunned look. "No way. Why did you think that?"_

"_You sat beside her at the first day meetings and you smiled at her." As he said the words Nick realized that he had based his assumptions on very little evidence. _

"_I sat next to Grissom that day too, and I'm sure I probably even smiled at him. Why didn't you think I might be interested in him?" _

_Nick laughed out loud. "You better not appear interested in Gris, or Sara will take you out for good. She's laid claim to that man, and for her sake I just wish he'd realize how good she would be for him."_

"_Yeah. I like Sara." Greg smiled at his date. "If I rolled that way, I'd give Gris a run for his money." _

_Nick reached out to trace a finger along Greg's jaw line. "Then I guess I'm mighty glad you decided to roll this way, instead of that way."_

They had started to lean towards each other, but before anything could happen the attendant at the gate had announced it was their turn to ride. They had drawn apart and moved to find their karts of choice, each looking to out race the other.

Moving from the kitchen counter, Greg finished his first cup of coffee of the day and went to take a shower. He remembered how last night he had won two of the three races, but Nick had complained that he had only lost the last race because he had been caught behind another driver who had trouble finding the gas pedal. The wild-haired winner had just laughed and danced around Nick humming the Rocky theme, much to Nick's chagrin.

"_I'm thirsty, Nicky. Can we stop at the concession stand?" He tugged on Nick's arm teasingly._

_Nick shook his head and shrugged, "Sorry, G. That doesn't come with the 'Sammy's deluxe package', I guess not."_

"_Pu-leeze. I really want one of those icy cola things, Nick." He stepped closer to Nick and batted his eyelashes and stuck out his lip in a huge pout. "Please, Nicky."_

_Nick smiled and wrapped an arm around the younger man's back. "So if I get you one of those icy drinks, Greg, what do I get in return?" He looked down at those pouty lips so close to his own and then back up at Greg's eyes._

"_Whadya want, Nicky? A kiss?"_

"_Oh, yeah," he breathed, looking back down at Greg's lips._

_Greg leaned forward and softly captured Nick's lips with his own. The older man tightened his arm and pulled Greg closer opening his mouth and urging the young man to deepen the kiss._

"_Get a room."_

_Nick and Greg heard the not-so-quiet comment and pulled apart, chuckling. "Okay, I guess I'll spring for that icy drink, Greg."_

"_Damn right you will, and it's going to be a large, cowboy."_

Greg stepped out of the shower and smiled into the mirror as he knotted a towel at his waist. The first kiss of the evening had been good, really good, but it didn't compare to the one Nick had given him at his front door at the end of their date. Greg continued reminiscing.

After their kiss Nick had been a man of his word and bought Greg the icy cola drink. Greg had thanked him and offered to share the sweet beverage. They had wandered into the arcade area and had played a couple of games, before Nick had looked at him and said, "You're wiped, Greg. Time to take you home."

Greg had tried to defer, but Nick had been adamant. He had gathered all their remaining tokens and had passed them to a young couple who were clearly on their first date also. They had walked out to the truck and Nick had made sure Greg was inside and buckled, before walking around to get in on the driver's side.

"_Do you remember me buckling you in last week, G?" The phys ed teacher asked quietly._

_Greg swallowed. "Yeah. I didn't at first, but when I was showering and smelled your shampoo, I remembered the scent of your hair as you reached in to buckle the seat belt, and … I remembered … I was so afraid to come out of the bathroom. I…"_

_Nick reached over and grasped his hand. "I thought it was wonderful, G." He chuckled. "That was when I realized you weren't interested in Wendy, and I started to hope that you might be interested in me."_

_Greg rubbed his thumb along the back of Nick's hand. "By the time I met Wendy it was too late. I'd already met you." _

_They drove along for a few minutes in silence, before Nick spoke again. "Warrick, and now Catherine, are the only ones at school that know I'm gay, Greg. I'm not ashamed of being gay, but I do spend a lot of time in the boys locker room and I don't want small-minded people to think that I'm acting inappropriately just because of my sexual orientation." _

_Greg sat quietly, but kept the steady pressure of his thumb on Nick's hand, hoping that the Texan could feel his support through that little patch of skin._

_After a few moments Nick continued, "Would you be okay with us seeing where this is headed before going public, Greg? I don't want you to think that I'm ashamed of you, or myself, I'd just like to be more sure of our relationship before …."_

_Greg interrupted him, "I understand, Nick, really. How about we give it a month, and if everything's going well, we tell our friends. I don't feel the need to tell everyone at work. I don't know most of them anyway. But if this becomes important to us, I'd like to at least tell our friends."_

_Nick stopped at an intersection and turned to smile at his date. "That sounds good, Greg, but I think that at least one person is going to figure it out before the end of the month."_

_Greg smiled and nodded. "That Warrick is really observant, isn't he?"_

"_Yeah, he figured out I was interested in you back at Catherine's cookout. Called me out on it when I was on clean up duty."_

"_He seems like a good guy. He certainly balances out Catherine."_

_Nick nodded. "Yeah, they are good together." He paused, "Last Saturday I finally told Catherine that I was gay and that I was interested in someone. I wanted her to know that I was done with all her fix-ups. She'll probably pick up on us before too long." _

_Greg shrugged his shoulders. "Nick, I don't have trouble going public whenever it happens. But if you want to keep it quiet, talk to Warrick and Catherine now. It's evident they care about you, and if you ask them to keep it secret for a while, I'm sure they won't let it slip."_

_Nick nodded his head and said, "I'll talk to Warrick this weekend and see what he thinks about Catherine."_

_They continued the rest of the drive in silence, listening to a cd Nick had put in at the beginning of the evening._

_When they arrived at Greg's apartment complex, the two men exited the truck and walked up the sidewalk together holding hands. Nick waited while Greg unlocked his door and then turned the young man around and Greg found himself caught between Nick and the hallway wall._

_Nick raised a hand and cupped the back of Greg's neck. "I'm not coming in tonight. It's too soon for both of us, but…" he leaned in and whispered against Greg's lips, "I've gotta have this." He grazed Greg's lips with his tongue and groaned when those lips opened under his._

_Greg placed his hands on Nick's hips, and linking his thumbs in the belt loops under his palms, pulled the muscular man closer to his own body. Nick rested his body on Greg's, but kept his weight off the slighter body beneath him. _

_They continued the kiss for a bit longer, until Nick raised his lips from Greg's and rested his forehead on that of the younger man. "Oh hell. If I don't go now, I'm not going to be able to leave."_

_Greg made a mewling sound and strained forward to run his tongue across Nick's lips one last time. "Fucking perfect first date, Nicky."_

Greg took a sip from his third cup of now-cool coffee and walked to his closet, trying to decide what to wear to the football game later. He stood there remembering, and not really seeing what was in front of him, when his cell phone rang. He rushed to the bedside table and flipped open the phone. "Hi Nick….."

* * *

AN: Sammy's Fun Zone only exists in my imagination (as far as I know). I'm not aware if a place like it exists in Vegas, but I've seen places similar to it in almost every tourist town I've ever visited.

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	11. Chapter 11

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Thanks to WhenFireAndIceBurnAsOne for the suggestion of showing Nick's POV on their first date. I've been struggling with an upcoming chapter and trying to keep the boys from moving too fast. I guess I'm old fashioned, but I like a little romance. So Thursday night I go to sleep thinking about Nick's POV and Friday morning I wake up and _Bam _I have an idea to remedy the situation.

The result is this little chapter. The chapter originally written for posting today will be seen on Tuesday morning. That said…. here's Nick's version of their first date.

* * *

Nick lay in bed smiling at the ceiling. He knew it was a dopey smile, but he didn't care. He hadn't felt this good in a really long time, and the cause of this feeling had wild spiky hair and big brown eyes.

He stretched his legs out and took a deep breath, settling down further into the mattress. Nick didn't want to leave the warm cocoon of his bed. While he lay there he could recall his previous night without the intrusions of his daily life. Soon he would have to get up and prepare for his day, but for a few more minutes he would just stay here and relive his first evening with Greg.

He remembered the young man answering the door and inviting him into his apartment, and grinned recalling the wall devoted to music and video. It was evident that the Greg hadn't spent much money on his furnishings, but that wasn't really surprising. Young teachers don't start out making much money and Nick suspected that most of Greg's ready cash went into his cd and dvd collection.

He thought Greg had looked fantastic, and when the young man had moved from leaning against the wall to standing in front of him, it had taken all of his self control to merely stroke his cheek. Nick chuckled at how the quick nip Greg had given his ear just before they had left had struck him momentarily incapable of rational thought.

The drive to Moreno's had been pleasant. Greg had kept up a running commentary about something that a student was trying to pull in his classroom, interjected with questions about places they were passing along the way. Nick had responded to the requests for information and made the appropriate responses to the ongoing story, enjoying the sound of the low voice vibrating in his truck.

Nick had taken pleasure in sharing his favorite restaurant with the young man. When Greg had realized that it was Nick's favorite, he had closed his menu and asked the older man to order for him. Nick had ordered the special of the night, lasagna, and, after remembering how the newspaper article that day had reported that Greg loved sugary treats, had asked Lorenzo's daughter to set aside two orders of dessert.

While they waited for their meal, Nick remembered that Greg had questioned him about his family. The young teacher had really listened to him talk about his siblings and after only mentioning their individual names one time, Greg was able to ask specific questions about his sisters using their correct names. Nick had appreciated that, for Greg, it wasn't just about filling in the silence, it was learning about the other person sitting at the table. It made the phys ed teacher want to learn all about his date's life prior to moving to Vegas.

So in response, Nick had asked Greg about his family. He had read just a few comments in the school's weekly newspaper about his parents and grandparents back in California, remembering that Greg was an only child.

"_So Greg, I remember back at Catherine's that first day you talked about taking your first steps on the beach. Did you and your family spend a lot of time there?" Nick asked setting his fork down and leaning back in his chair._

_Greg smiled. "When I was younger we were there all the time, of course my over-protective mother didn't let me get more than my feet wet unless she was right there within arm's reach. As I grew older, we went less as a family, because she found it difficult to keep me out of the water."_

_The Texan looked at his date with a puzzled expression. "I thought you were a surfer."_

_The blond man laughed. "As I got older I just went by myself or with friends. My first surfboard never even made it to my own home, I kept it at my friend Ryan's house. He lived closer to the beach than my other friends, and he was close to the bus line. Mom thought I spent all my free time at the library." Greg chuckled. "That year my mom almost got me a tutor, she said that if I needed to spend that much time in the library I must need help. I had to do some serious backpedaling to avoid that situation."_

"_That must have been difficult for you, G." Nick said, not really being able to understand what it must have been like. Being the youngest in his family had its perks, all his older siblings had paved the way for him, and Nick hadn't had a difficult time when it came to trying somewhat dangerous activities._

_Greg shrugged. "It got easier as I got older, but even after college she still had some problems letting go. That's why last spring I decided to move further away. Teaching that close to my mom was almost like living at home. She was always stopping by and checking up on me. I didn't even tell her I had been interviewing anywhere, until I accepted the job here in Vegas."_

"_How did she take it when you told her?" Nick asked quietly._

_The young man grimaced. "Not well. She's not exactly speaking to me right now. Dad keeps saying to give her time. I've been here less than a month, so as time goes on I'm hoping that she'll finally accept the fact that I'm not going back."_

_Nick reached out to still the fingers that were bunching up the white tablecloth. "You're her only child, Greg, and your dad's right. Give her some time. She'll come to understand. She may not like it, but she'll understand."_

_Greg looked up at the older man. "You sound like you speak from experience."_

_Nick nodded. "My parents have been really great, but I've had a few issues with them. We went through a patch of not talking around the time I came to _

_Vegas, too. Trust me, things will get better, G."_

_The young man nodded and turned his hand so that he was able to lace his fingers with Nick's. "Thanks."_

Right about then Lorenzo Moreno had exited the kitchen to come out and chat with Nick about the football team. The coach had chatted with the owner and chef for a short time, but continued to hold on to Greg's hand, liking the connection to the young man. As Lorenzo was leaving the table, his daughter had brought out the tiramisu.

Nick gave a sigh as he remembered watching Greg eat the rich dessert. _The young man closed his eyes with each bite and almost moaned as he allowed the dessert to linger in his mouth. Nick stared at his face, his breath catching in his throat as Greg licked the utensil clean. He placed both of his hands around his coffee cup in hopes that the action would stop the trembling he was experiencing. _

_Greg's smile when he placed his fork down made Nick reciprocate. "You like that, G?"_

"_It's amazing, Nick. How did you find this place?"_

"_Lorenzo's son, Anthony, played football for me about four years ago. The nights we would get together to watch films, Lorenzo would bring in pans of food for the team. I got addicted to his food. We'll have to come back some time for his manicotti."_

"_Manicotti, huh? I guess could be persuaded to join you here again," Greg said with a smile._

They had left Moreno's and when Greg had asked where they were headed, Nick had merely smiled and shook his head, not answering the question the entire drive from the restaurant to the arcade. He had diverted the younger man by talking about the upcoming football game scheduled for the following afternoon. When they had pulled up in front of the building, Greg's eyes had been shining, an infectious smile on his face.

_"Sammy's Fun Zone, huh?"_

_He grinned back, "Yeah, are you up for a little friendly competition, G?"_

_"Always. What type of competition is available here at Sammy's?" Greg asked opening his car door and exiting the truck._

_Nick followed suit and walked around the truck to Greg's side. "Well, there's miniature golf, go karts and some crazy-loud games in the arcade. Does any of that appeal to you, or would you rather go somewhere else?" _

_Greg started to laugh. "I've already had great coffee and a fantastic meal, and now I get to play video games and race go karts. This might be my perfect date. I just have one question."_

"_What is it, Greg?"_

"_Is this golf course nine or eighteen holes?" the young man asked biting his lower lip._

"_Eighteen, why?" the dark-haired man queried._

"_Then this is officially the perfect date, Nick." At Nick's look of puzzlement, Greg grinned. "I get to watch you bend over and pick up that golf ball at least eighteen times. Gotta be the best date ever, Nick."_

At that comment Nick had wanted to pull the young man back into his truck and under his body, but Greg had reached out and took his hand, pulling him toward the entrance. By the time they had reached the ticket counter, Nick had been back in control of himself.

Nick had enjoyed teasing Greg while they played golf. He caught on quickly that the young man had been honest in his comment about finding Nick's rear worthy of attention. Every time the Texan had turned to look at Greg, he was blinking and bringing his eyes back up from their lowered position. So Nick had started setting the ball down and then bending over to reposition it a couple of more times. He had soon realized that Greg was probably in no way playing up to his true potential.

At about the twelfth hole, Nick and Greg had become aware of the group golfing behind them, a couple with two fairly young children who were clearly getting tired and cranky. The little girl had wandered ahead and was sitting on the bench beside Greg and Nick's hole. After smiling at her parents, Nick had watched as his date sat down beside the girl and talked to her quietly. He had observed the young girl relax and start grinning at whatever Greg was saying, swinging her feet and gesturing wildly in response.

_The little girl's father walked closer to Nick and nodded his head towards the couple on the bench. "He's great with kids. He'll make a wonderful father some day."_

"_Yeah." Nick responded, looking at the young man in question. He suddenly envisioned Greg sitting next to another small girl, this one with dark hair and eyes. His own eyes widened at the thought. 'I've only known this man for two weeks and I'm imagining him as father-material for a possible daughter!' Nick took a deep breath and realized that he had never had thoughts about sharing a child with anyone else he had ever dated. _

_He recalled his mother telling him once, long before the issue of his being gay had ever surfaced, that when he met someone that had the potential of being 'the one' that he should take the relationship slowly. He had been embarrassed by her frankness. 'Nick, I realize that until you are ready to settle down and get married, you will not live like a monk. But when you run across that special girl I want you to allow things to develop slowly. Love should burn steady and bright, not be an immediate flash that fizzles out quickly. Woo her, Nick. Make her realize that sex isn't the most important part of the relationship.'_

_Why should he be thinking that now?_

_Nick suddenly realized that Greg was waiting at the far end of the putting green and looking at him oddly. The older man took a deep breath and walked towards the young blond man. Remembering his mother's words, 'Take things slowly'._

They had finished golfing and moved towards the go kart area, leaning against the fence to watch a few races. Greg had told Nick that he wanted to see which karts had the most potential on the track. They had jokingly argued over their choices, before getting into line and waiting for their turn.

They had talked about their friends and had even joked about how they each had thought the other had been interested in Wendy. Nick inwardly chastised himself for jumping to conclusions. He recalled how their conversation had extended to Sara and smiled.

"_Yeah. I like Sara." Greg smiled at his date. "If I rolled that way, I'd give Gris a run for his money." _

_Nick reached out to trace a finger along Greg's jaw line. "Then I guess I'm mighty glad you decided to roll this way, instead of that way."_

Nick remembered leaning towards Greg, anticipating the touch of the young man's lips against his own, before the attendant at the gate had announced it was their turn to ride. He'd straightened his body and had moved away from Greg's lean form, all the time hearing his mother's voice in his head, 'go slow, Nick'.

Rolling over on his side in the big bed, Nick recalled the teasing antics of the young man when he had requested a cold drink. It had never been Nick's intention of denying him, but the silly banter had earned him a kiss which was a definite plus. Hell, Nick would have given him a lot more than a cold drink in return for that kiss. It was probably a good thing that some teenager had said 'get a room', because Nick had almost forgotten that they had been standing in the middle of a family-oriented establishment.

The two men had moved into the arcade and after playing a couple of games together, Nick had laughed until he almost cried as Greg challenged a young girl to a 'dance off' on one of the arcade games. The young man had given it his all and although he had done remarkably well, it was evident to Nick that the girl must have lived for the game, as she literally had wiped the floor with his date.

When Greg had stepped off the machine, Nick had pulled him close and said, "You're wiped, Greg. Time to take you home." The blond had protested, but Nick had merely passed the remaining tokens to the young girl and her boyfriend with a smile. He'd taken Greg out to the truck and buckled his seatbelt, much the same way he had the weekend before.

_After settling in his own seat, the phys ed teacher asked quietly, "Do you remember me buckling you in last week, G?" _

_Greg swallowed. "Yeah. I didn't at first, but when I was showering and smelled your shampoo, I remembered the scent of your hair as you reached in to buckle the seat belt, and … I remembered … I was so afraid to come out of the bathroom. I…"_

_Nick reached over and grasped his hand. "I thought it was wonderful, G." He chuckled. "That was when I realized you weren't interested in Wendy, and I started to hope that you might be interested in me."_

_Greg rubbed his thumb along the back of Nick's hand. "By the time I met Wendy it was too late. I'd already met you."_

_They drove along for a few minutes in silence, before Nick spoke again. "Warrick, and now Catherine, are the only ones at school that know I'm gay, Greg. I'm not ashamed of being gay, but I do spend a lot of time in the boys locker room and I don't want small-minded people to think that I'm acting inappropriately just because of my sexual orientation."_

_Greg had sat quietly, keeping the steady pressure of his thumb on Nick's hand. The Texan could feel his support through that tiny patch of skin._

Nick shifted in the bed remembering why he was so hesitant to allow his sexuality to become known at his place of employment. The politics of angry parents versus school board had forced the school district in Dallas to ask for his resignation. He could have fought the request, but didn't want his family to become part of the fight. It had been hard enough telling them why he was asked to leave, he didn't want them to go through the public battle that keeping his job would have entailed.

_After a few moments Nick continued, "Would you be okay with us seeing where this is headed before going public, Greg? I don't want you to think that I'm ashamed of you, or myself, I'd just like to be more sure of our relationship before …."_

_Greg interrupted him, "I understand, Nick, really. How about we give it a month, and if everything's going well, we tell our friends. I don't feel the need to tell everyone at work. I don't know most of them anyway. But if this becomes important to us, I'd like to at least tell our friends."_

Our friends. Nick had liked the way that sounded. It linked him to the younger man. The idea of being himself with Greg around their friends had been a very enticing thought. He had continued talking to his date about Warrick and Catherine for a short period of time, until the conversation quieted and they continued the rest of the drive in silence, listening to a cd he had put in at the beginning of the evening.

When they had arrived at Greg's apartment complex, the two men had walked up the sidewalk together holding hands. Nick had waited until Greg had unlocked his door before turning the young man around and sandwiching him between the hallway wall and his own body.

Nick's momma's voice had been running through his head the entire walk in from the truck, 'Go slowly, Nick. You don't want just a flash, go for the long burn'.

_Nick raised a hand and cupped the back of Greg's neck. "I'm not coming in tonight. It's too soon for both of us, but…" he leaned in and whispered against Greg's lips, "I've gotta have this." He grazed Greg's lips with his tongue and groaned when those lips opened under his._

_Greg placed his hands on Nick's hips, and linking his thumbs in the belt loops under his palms, pulled the muscular man closer to his own body. Nick rested his body on Greg's, but kept his weight off the slighter form beneath him._

_They continued the kiss for a bit longer, until Nick raised his lips from Greg's and rested his forehead on that of the younger man. "Oh hell. If I don't go now, I'm not going to be able to leave."_

_Greg made a mewling sound and strained forward to run his tongue across Nick's lips one last time. "Fucking perfect first date, Nicky."_

Nick closed his eyes at the memory and smiled. He reached over to his bedside table and lifted his cell phone, wanting to hear that low voice before he arose to start his day. He dialed and as soon as the ringing stopped, he murmured, "Morning Sunshine."

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	12. Chapter 12

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg strolled along the walkway at the base of the bleachers, looking up into the stands. He was hoping to find Sara and Grissom or Catherine and Warrick, he'd even settle for Wendy and Hodges if it came right down to it. He was a little nervous about coming to the football game on his own, even though he could see familiar faces belonging to fellow staff and students. He stopped and stood there scanning the crowd, but not finding anyone he felt comfortable joining without first being asked.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Warrick standing there grinning. "Hey Sanders. How about over there?" He pointed to a somewhat empty section of the bleachers. Greg nodded and started up the aisle with Warrick trailing behind.

As he reached the area he believed Warrick had indicated, Greg turned and asked, "This okay with you?"

Warrick nodded. "We need to save seats for Catherine, Grissom and Sara. I suspect Hodges and Wendy will end up here too."

Greg sat down and asked the green-eyed man, "How'd it go last night? Hodges behave himself?"

"It was okay, everyone got along and the show was good. But Greg, we only have a few minutes alone here and I don't want to talk about my night, I'm much more interested in yours." Warrick glanced around and, seeing they were still isolated from the main crowd, added, "Come on, Sanders, dish."

Greg tried to give Warrick a sincere 'whatever do you mean' look, but the other man just shook his head. "I know you and Nick had plans last night, but I haven't had a chance to talk to him since yesterday afternoon. I really don't want any personal details, Greg, but did you two at least have a good time?"

"Well," the young man blushed, "I can't speak for Nick, but I had a really good time." He looked at Warrick smiled. "A really good time."

"Good enough for a repeat?" The driver's ed teacher was mentally crossing his fingers for his best friend.

"God, I hope so." Greg said fervently, before realizing what he had said and lowering his reddened face to look at his sneakers.

Warrick threw back his head and laughed. "Good. It's about time that man got some action."

"Hey," Greg raised his head to look at Warrick, "it was only a first date, man. No action was involved. Well not much…" His voice trailed off, his blush becoming deeper.

The other man continued to chuckle, "Gotta start somewhere, Greg. I'm glad that you both enjoyed the evening." He glanced around the bleachers. "Incoming. We've got company, Sanders."

Greg turned his head to look in the direction Warrick was indicating. "Hi Catherine, and how are you this beautiful afternoon?"

* * *

Greg enjoyed the camaraderie of the afternoon with his new co-workers and friends. The only thing missing was having Nick sitting beside him. Greg had to settle for watching Nick walk the sidelines of the football field. He followed the tenor of the fans and knew when to cheer or when to sigh in disappointment by listening to their outbursts, but Greg didn't see any of the plays causing the verbal and visceral reactions. He kept his eyes on the sidelines. On Nick.

During half-time as the other six discussed their previous evening, laughing about something that had happened among some of the other guests, he relaxed and turned his attention to his companions. Greg smiled and listened to their banter, glad to be a part of their group.

At one point, Sara had turned to the chemistry teacher and asked, "So what did Nick and you do last night, Greg? I bet you two hit the bars looking for a couple of pretty tourists, right?"

Greg just shook his head and laughed. "Naw, Sara. We grabbed a bite to eat and raced go karts."

"Go karts? Really, Greg?" she looked surprised at the disclosure.

"Yeah, it's a guy thing, Sara. Give a man a full stomach and a little velocity and he's usually a very happy individual." He looked over at Grissom. "Am I right, Gil?"

"For such a young man you are very self-aware, Greg." The older man smiled at his wild-headed companion. "Whereas you happen to enjoy go karts, I prefer roller coasters."

Greg's grin grew wide knowing the biology teacher had just managed to move the attention onto himself and away from Greg and his evening with Nick. The new teacher wanted to make sure the interest stayed elsewhere and decided to manipulate the conversation. "So, Grissom likes the coasters. That's two for two." He turned to the math teacher and smiled, "So, give Hodges, what's your secret speed fix, man?"

The clearly embarrassed man fidgeted on the wooden bleacher. He noticed Wendy was focused on the conversation, awaiting his answer. "Well, I…It's not really…You have to be fast…"

"What is it?" Wendy asked softly, leaning closer.

Hodges tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders before responding, "I like to snipe."

"Snipe?" Gil asked with a puzzled look. "I don't think I understand. I've heard of a snipe hunt, but…"

The math teacher shook his head, "It's not like that, Gil. I like to buy things on the internet, and making a last second submission to outbid your opponents is called a snipe. If you're not fast, you don't win the auction."

Greg clapped his hands together in delight. "That's three for three, Sara." He turned to the driver's ed teacher. "How about you, Warrick? What's your secret speed vice?" His face showed his pleasure in finding out little tidbits of information about his new friends.

Warrick looked at Greg with deadly grin. "Sanders, I don't think you want to pull me into this conversation," he said quietly.

Seeing the chemistry teacher's face begin to cloud with distress, Catherine piped up, "I can answer that question for you, Greg." Six sets of eyes turned to the blonde. "I can tell you his speed-related secret."

"Cath…," Warrick began, but Catherine put a finger to his lips and smiled. She turned back to the others and put their questions to rest. "Warrick's need for speed is displayed every time he hears Lindsey is going to be gone overnight. I'm not sure the man even stops for red lights on his way over to my house."

The entire group let out peals of laughter, causing those sitting around them to turn and stare. Greg let out a relieved breath, the conversation had permanently moved away from his evening with Nick. The chemistry teacher looked down at the field and realized the team was coming back out from the locker room for the second half. Time to Nick-watch again.

* * *

Nick's team won the game that afternoon, and while the score wasn't as close as the week before, it wasn't a blowout by any means. While watching the coach, Greg had replayed the morning phone call several times in his head.

"_Morning, Sunshine."_

"_Hi, Nick. I had a really great time last night."_

"_I'm so glad, Greg, I did too. What are you doing right now?" The voice coming across the lines sounded as smooth as silk._

"_Standing here in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear to the game today," he teased the other man. "Should I go with the tight white tee shirt, or should I wear the fishnet, hmmm?"_

_The young man heard an audible gulp coming from the phone. "What are you wearing now?" _

_Greg chuckled at the response he had received. "A damp towel, Nick, and I think my knot is slipping."_

_He heard a groan come from the phone. "You're killing me here, G."_

"_Uh oh, there it goes. I better bend over and get that wet towel off my floor." The blond leaned against the closet door jamb and smiled._

"_Greg…." There was clearly a moan coming from the receiver._

"_Nick, you sound like you have a problem, maybe I can help?" he offered, a smirk on his face._

"_No, Greg. This is not happening. Our first time will not be over the phone lines. No phone sex." It sounded as if he was trying to convince himself._

"_Never, Nick?" he chuckled._

_Greg heard a sigh. "I'm not saying never, but not now." _

"_You have a lot of restrictions for our first time, Nick. I can't be passed out, it can't be over the phone,….."_

"_Greg," Nick interrupted his ramblings._

"_Yeah?"_

"_The green shirt."_

"_Huh?" the young man's brain tried to shift gears._

"_The green shirt you wore to the cookout at Catherine's. Is it clean?"_

"_Yeah, Nick. I'm looking at it right now." He reached into the closet and pulled out the hanger containing the shirt._

"_Wear it, Greg."_

"_You like that shirt, Nicky?" he asked quietly._

"_I like you wearing it, G." His soft voice whispered across the lines._

_

* * *

_

As the game ended, the small group started to move from their seats, following the departing crowd. Before they could reach the bottom of the bleachers, Warrick's phone rang. He listened for a few seconds and then put a hand out to stop Greg's forward movement.

"Hold up, Catherine, Greg." He looked at the others and waved them on. "Catch you all on Monday."

They nodded and continued on their way. Warrick looked at his two remaining companions and indicated that they should step back and allow the remaining crowd to pass around them. "Nick's on the phone."

Greg looked down at the field and saw that Nick had moved away from the mass of fans and players on the field and had his phone to his ear. They made eye contact and Greg waved, watching Nick raise his chin and smile back. Gosh, he was really starting to love that smile.

Warrick spoke, "Nick wants to know if the three of us are free tonight for dinner." He looked at Catherine, who nodded, and then over at Greg, whose gaze remained fixed on Nick. The tall man smiled and gave a snort.

"I guess that's a big yeah, Nick." He paused for a few moments. "Okay, I'll tell him."

The green-eyed man clicked his phone shut. "Nick said he'd stop by and pick you up at 6:30 since you're on the way to the restaurant, Greg."

The young man nodded and gave Nick another smile, knowing that the dinner that evening would probably be their coming out party for Catherine, as Warrick was already aware of the situation. He was excited and pleased that Nick was willing to make that leap.

Catherine came up and put an arm around Greg's waist, and when he turned toward her, she put her other hand on his chest. "I'm glad, Greg."

He looked down at her with a confused look on his face. "Uh Catherine, I'm not sure…"

The blond smiled at the young chemistry teacher. "I told him that when he was ready, I wanted a double date. I guess he's ready."

Nick was right, Catherine had already figured it out. Greg raised his eyebrows and smiled back at her. "Double date, huh? I haven't been on one of those for quite some time." He nodded over to Warrick and pulled the home ec teacher close. "So do you think Nick and Warrick make a cute couple?"

"Sanders…," the dark haired man started, but his retort was cut short by the laughter of his two co-workers.

* * *

Nick had arrived at Greg's fifteen minutes earlier than planned, which was fine with the young teacher, especially when those minutes were spent up against his living room wall with Nick's lips on his and his hands roaming under the hem of Greg's untucked black shirt.

As the older man's lips traveled to his partner's neck, a groan was heard. "Nick, they're expecting us at the restaurant." Greg moved his hands from the Texan's hips to his upper arms and massaged them gently. "Earth to Nick."

Nick raised his head and Greg saw his dark, dilated eyes burning with desire. "God, what you do to me, G."

"If you haven't noticed, Nicky, the feeling is entirely mutual." He bucked his hips forward and gave the other man a naughty smile. "See what you do to me, stud?"

The muscular man swooped in for one more devastating kiss before placing his hands on the wall beside the young blond and levering himself off the slighter man. "It's going to take me a few minutes before I can walk out of here." He smiled at Greg and looked down. "Looks like you need a few minutes, too."

Greg shook his head and smiled. "Naw, Nicky. I'll proudly walk out of here like this right now. I want everyone to see what you do to me." He stretched his arm out and ran one finger across the front of Nick's jeans. "And that I can do this to you."

Nick gave a shuddering breath and pulled Greg back into his arms, capturing his lips again. "'Rick and Catherine can wait five more minutes," he muttered.

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	13. Chapter 13

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

"Sorry we're late." Greg said with a naughty smile as he slid into the booth across from Catherine and Warrick.

"No, you're not, Greg, but that's okay." Catherine smiled back at him, before raising her eyes to Nick. "Hey, Nicky."

"Hey guys." Nick slid in beside Greg and placed his hands on the tabletop. "Sorry."

"You could have called, Nick," Warrick grumbled, looking at his best friend.

"Nope, he couldn't," Greg interjected, "his mouth was otherwise occupied."

Greg suddenly realized he had three pairs of eyes trained upon him, and his own eyes widened considerably. He waved a hand in front of his face, "Above the waist, geez, you all have dirty minds."

The others laughed at his words, and Nick turned to smile at Catherine. "I guess you know already then?"

"Yeah, Nicky, once you set me straight last week, it's been easy to spot." She grinned affectionately at the two men.

"Well then, that's one conversation we won't have to have tonight," Nick smiled at his friends. "You two are the only ones who know right now. Greg and I have talked, and with the exception of you guys, we are going to see where this goes before telling anyone else."

"Ah, that explains the Sanders side-step this afternoon," Catherine said, looking at Greg and chuckling. "You would have been proud of him, Nicky. When Sara asked about what you and Greg did last night, he soon had all the guys talking about what they do to satisfy their 'speed needs'. No one even posed a follow-up question."

Nick looked over at Greg and smiled, "That's my Greggo, the master of misdirection." He reached over and grasped Greg's hand that was anxiously fiddling with the silverware on his napkin.

"I told them we had something to eat and then raced go karts. I had to say something, Sara and Grissom knew we had plans together." Greg was almost apologetic.

"No worries, Greg. You didn't lie, but you didn't elaborate." The phys ed teacher stroked his thumb on the back of the younger man's hand. "I don't want you to ever have to lie about our relationship. Lies would cheapen it, and I don't want that." Nick looked intently at Greg's face, his pupils dilating and darkening when the chemistry teacher nervously licked his lips.

"Uh, guys," Warrick began, "we're in a family restaurant. There are kids in the booth across from us."

Nick's face reddened as his head swiveled back towards Warrick and Catherine. "Sorry."

The home ec teacher giggled, "I think it's sweet. You two can't even look at each other without getting all worked up. It's a good thing your classrooms are on opposite sides of the campus."

Warrick just shook his head and grinned, "Why did we go out with Sara and Gil last night, Cath? We should have went out with these guys, I think we may have missed the best show in town."

Greg gave an exaggerated yawn. "We'd give you two a repeat, but as you've already informed us, there are children present. Besides, I'm still trying to recover from the experience."

Nick snorted at Greg. "Moving on." He looked over at Warrick and asked, "You still coming over for the game tomorrow?"

Warrick looked back and forth between the two men sitting across from him. "Is there going to be a floor show, or are we just talking football?"

Nick looked over at Greg, who shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, 'Rick. I'm not sure I can control myself. How about you, Greg?"

"I don't know, Nick. Maybe if we sit on opposite sides of the room?" Greg joked back.

"Ha ha, really funny guys. If this is an example of what I'll have to put up with tomorrow, I think I'll pass," he made his voice sound a bit vexed, continuing on with the banter.

Greg stared at the green-eyed man looking clearly upset. "Warrick, Sunday afternoon football belongs to you and Nick. Don't worry. I'll just stay home." He clasped his hands together under the table and stared at his water glass.

Warrick looked quickly at Catherine and Nick not quite sure when the conversation went from joking to serious. He saw that they also were at a loss for Greg's sudden change in demeanor.

The driver's ed teacher reached across the table top and put his hand on the young man's arm. "Greg, we're just joking around here. You understand that right? I'll be at Nick's tomorrow, just like I planned, and you better be there too. If not, I'm coming over to pick you up and drag you out." Warrick warned the young man.

Greg looked up at Warrick and smiled, "You are sooo easy." He turned to Nick and beamed, "I am the master."

Warrick sat back with a thud, as Nick and Catherine laughed at his discomfiture. Then Catherine leaned across the table and in a stage whisper said, "You really had Warrick on the ropes there. Do you have any time to give me pointers, Greg?"

The young teachre looked over at the green-eyed man and loudly whispered back to Catherine, "Monday after school. You provide some sugary treats and I'll do the tutoring."

Warrick gave a loud sigh and leaned back, while Nick laughed out loud. Greg and Catherine just exchanged conspiratorial grins.

At that moment their waiter appeared at the table. "Sorry you had to wait. We've been slammed tonight. Can I take your order?"

"No problems," Nick answered the waiter, smiling. "We've got all evening."

* * *

Nick poured a fresh cup of coffee and took a sip. Would he ever be able to drink his morning beverage again without associating its flavor with the taste of Greg's mouth? He leaned back against the kitchen counter and closed his eyes, breathing in the aroma of the coffee and remembering the end of his evening last night.

_He pulled up in front of Greg's apartment building, unhooked his seatbelt, and reached to open his door, when the young man had stopped him with a touch of his hand. "No, Nick."_

"_Greg?" he questioned, turning towards the other man._

"_Not tonight, please." Greg looked at him through heavily lidded eyes. "You can't come up. I…" He bit his lower lip. "Nick…"_

_The Texan groaned and stretched across the bench seat, pulling the new teacher close, his lips capturing and controlling those that were trying to deny him. "G, are you sure?" he murmured against those soft lips._

_Greg threaded his fingers through the short hair of his companion. "I don't do casual sex, Nick. I just need to know this is really going somewhere before I tumble into bed with you. It would be so easy tonight, but I need more time." _

_He moaned as the older man pushed his collar over to the side and ran his tongue along the exposed skin. "If you come upstairs with me, I won't be able to …"_

_Nick returned his lips to Greg's, silencing his words. After a moment he pulled away, and after one more quick kiss he sat up straight on his own side of the seat. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, right?" Greg took a deep gulp of air in an attempt to control his breathing and nodded. Nick followed suit. "You better go then. I'll stay to make sure you get into the building." _

"_Thanks for understanding," the young blond said softly._

_Nick nodded. He gazed at the man sitting beside him and as his passenger opened the door to exit, he said, "G, it wouldn't have been casual for me." _

_Giving Nick a shy smile, Greg nodded in return and exited the truck. When he reached the front door of the building he turned and gave Nick a small wave. The phys ed teacher allowed himself a sigh of disappointment before putting his truck into reverse._

_He drove home, his mother' s words a mantra the entire way. 'Go slow, Nick, go slow.'_

"_I'm trying, Momma. I'm trying," he said to the dark night._

_

* * *

_

Warrick shifted the items in his arms in an attempt to knock on his best friend's door without dropping anything in the process. He had given in to an urge to pick up a few snacks, in addition to the traditional beer. The tall man had awoken early and decided to head over to Nick's house a bit earlier than usual. He hoped that his friend would be alone so that they would have a chance to talk.

Nick opened the door and Warrick was slightly put out when the occupant's grin faltered a tiny bit upon seeing his face. "Sorry, it's only me."

"Shut up, 'Rick," the dark-haired man grinned. "Come on in. What did you do, buy out the snack aisle?" he asked, reaching out to take the beer as Warrick entered the house.

"Thought we better have back up food. Greg eats like he thinks he's never getting another meal," the green-eyed man laughed.

Nick joined in with the laughter. "Yeah, he does pack it away, doesn't he? He must have a super high metabolism to stay so thin."

The two men walked to the kitchen and Warrick set the bags filled with snacks on the table as Nick put the beer in the refrigerator.

Warrick sat on a stool that was positioned by the kitchen counter. "I wasn't sure if I'd find you at home yet this morning. What, no cuddlin' with Sanders last night?"

Nick snorted and shut the refrigerator door a little harder than he intended. "Nothing to cuddle after."

Warrick looked at his friend in amazement. "After all that verbal foreplay in the restaurant, he shot you down?"

The brown-eyed man nodded, "Says he's not into casual sex and wants to make sure we're going somewhere before heading into the bedroom. I still can't believe he sent me home last night, I know he's interested."

"Uh, I think the whole restaurant knew he was interested, Nick, but you can't blame him," Warrick acknowledged. The phys ed teacher placed his hands on his hips and looked at his friend with a puzzled expression. "You used the same argument for keeping your relationship under wraps. Is your reason any more valid than his?" Warrick reasoned.

Nick shook his head, "It's not the same, 'Rick. My job could be affected. I had to leave Dallas…."

"So he should just allow himself to become your dirty little secret until you're ready to commit, or until you decide he's not worth it and move on?"

"He agreed to wait. I didn't force him…" Nick began to argue, but suddenly became quiet.

Warrick just looked at him waiting for the other man to work it through in his brain. Nick sighed and sank onto a kitchen chair.

"I don't want to even think about moving on from him, 'Rick. I haven't known him long, but I've never felt this connection with anyone, ever."

The other man nodded. "Okay, just throwing this out there, don't get mad at me, but…. I don't know Greg well enough to know if he's using sex to get you to tell everyone, or if he really wants to go slow with you, but…"

Nick interrupted his friend, "I think he's being honest about it, 'Rick."

"Then take is slow, Nicky. If you really think this is going to go somewhere, don't screw it up by forcing the issue."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm just frustrated," Nick admitted, hearing his friend chuckle. "I guess I want to take it slow too, make sure it's not just about sex, but damn, it's not going to be easy. I just look at him and…"

"TMI, Nick." Warrick interrupted and then grinned at Nick's expression.

The two men sat in the kitchen surveying the amassed snacks. "The game doesn't start for over an hour, should I pull out the Xbox?" asked Nick.

Warrick smiled. "I'm so gonna whoop your ass, Stokes."

* * *

Greg arrived at Nick's house about twenty minutes before the game started. He purposefully waited until he thought Warrick would already be there. It was so hard being alone with Nick and not allowing himself to give in to his desire for the Texan.

Answering the knock, Nick opened the door with a smile, "Hey, Greg. I was starting to think maybe you weren't coming after all."

Greg stepped in and presented him with a bag of coffee. "I told you I would be here. I don't welsh on my commitments." He turned to look further into the living room at Warrick. "Hey man," he nodded towards the television screen, "who's winning?"

Warrick gave a huge grin. "I got him on the ropes, Greg. He's been a bit distracted. I think I've got you to thank you for that."

The young man smiled and turned back to his host. "Sorry Nicky," he said softly. "How did you sleep?"

"It took me awhile to fall asleep, even after a long shower." He answered in a whisper. His eyes focused on the young man.

"Me too," Greg admitted in a hushed voice. "Were you thinking about me? In the shower, I mean." He shifted from one foot to another nervously, his top teeth worrying his lower lip.

Nick sighed and took an involuntary step towards Greg. "Yeah."

"Me too," the young man said again with an answering sigh, his body swaying toward the Texan.

There was a loud cough from the couch. "Hey guys, you promised me no floor show. Come on, the pre-game show is about to start."

"Sorry, man." Greg chuckled and moved further into the room, where Warrick was putting the game system away and switching the television station to the pre-game show.

Nick looked down at the bag of coffee in his hands. "Hey Greg, what's with the coffee. I have coffee."

Greg looked over his shoulder at the older man. "Not this kind of coffee. If I'm going to be spending time over here I want the good stuff. It's kind of expensive, but I've decided I'm worth it." He turned back towards the television and settled down on one end of the couch.

Nick walked into the kitchen and set the bag of coffee on the counter with a big smile. 'Yeah,' he thought to himself, 'you're worth it.'

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	14. Chapter 14

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

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The next few weeks flew by, with both Greg and Nick spending their weekdays at work and their weekends together. One weekend, when the football game was on Friday night, the couple had spent the entire Saturday hiking at Lake Mead, picnicking in the shade of a rocky overhang. Another weekend the two men had spent Friday evening at the movie theater after a second trip to Moreno's for the manicotti. Sundays were reserved for watching football with Warrick at Nick's house.

It was unspoken between the two, that as much as the physical attraction was immense, they were taking it slow. There was some groping in their vehicles and the hallway outside of Greg's apartment and, of course there was kissing. Hot, manic kissing. Slow, measured kissing. If they were alone and within six feet of each other it was inevitable. At times their tongues and mouths had even made a lower path to their partner's throat and chest, but never had the waistline been breached much to their mutual frustration.

Nick realized one morning in the shower that he hadn't waited this long for a physical relationship with anyone since he'd been in high school. He smiled. His momma would be so proud of him. He had taken her advice from long ago and was wooing Greg. There had been the single, perfect chocolate-covered strawberry that he had packed in ice for their hike at Lake Mead, a new coffee cup that sported the high school logo filled with his expensive coffee sitting on his desk one rainy morning , and the special crème-filled dessert that he had asked Lorenzo to make prior to their second visit to his favorite restaurant.

Nick had been keeping an eye on the calendar and knew that this weekend marked the one month anniversary of their first date. He recalled their conversation in his truck when he had asked Greg for some time before letting anyone know they were dating. _"I understand, Nick, really. How about we give it a month, and if everything's going well, we tell our friends. I don't feel the need to tell everyone at work. I don't know most of them anyway. But if this becomes important to us, I'd like to at least tell our friends."_

Of course Catherine and Warrick already knew and the two couples had spent a few evenings together over the last month, but now Nick knew he was ready to let the remainder of their friends know about the blossoming relationship. Hell, he was ready to scream it from the highest building in Vegas. He was tired of having girls, and even some guys, hitting on Greg when they were out in public. Not that he could blame any of them, the young man just seemed to ooze pheromones.

The football game that week was on a Friday night and Nick had invited their mutual friends over for a cookout on Saturday. He hadn't said anything to Greg, but he wanted the get-together to be the place where they could 'come out' to those invited.

Before that could happen though, Nick felt the need to talk to his boss, Doc Robbins. There was no way he wanted to talk to Superintendent Ecklie, but his principal was an understanding man and he deserved to know about Nick before it became public knowledge. Of course, Nick wasn't going to post his sexuality on the school bulletin board, but the more people that knew, the greater the chance of there being some homophobic student or parent that would create a stir.

Nick had talked to Greg about it the night before, during a rare midweek date for supper, and had asked his permission to talk to Doc Robbins regarding the growing connection between the two men.

_He placed his hands palm down on the table top and took a deep breath. "Greg, I think it's time to talk to Robbins about us dating. It's only a matter of time before someone sees us out around town. I know he won't have a problem with it, but I want him to at least be prepared if an irate s.o.b. calls and complains." Nick looked into the brown eyes across the table from him._

_The other man nodded and gave a small smile. "I don't have a problem with that, Nick. I think that it's a good idea. Do you think that maybe we could do it at lunch time? I don't have students scheduled to come in…."_

_Nick cut him off. "I was going to go in by myself, Greg. Doc will absolutely have no problem with you dating a guy. Not even Ecklie and the school board could do anything to you, they know that would just be a lawsuit waiting to happen. The union would never allow them to get away with it, but with me it's all about appearances. The locker room, showers…," his voice trailed off._

_Greg placed his hand over one of those belonging to his date. "Nick, I don't want you to have to risk your job for me. We've only known each other a little over a month, it's not fair to you…"_

"_Shh, G. I want to do this. It's just a job. I've had to change jobs before, and if it works out that by living my life I can't coach and teach high school phys ed, then I'll find something else. You've become important to me and I'm not willing to walk away from you just because there is the possibility of some small minded individual raising hell with the school board." He paused and then admitted. "In Dallas I did walk away from my job to spare my family the media coverage a battle with the district would have entailed. But my family isn't here, and if you'd be willing to stick with me through any possible repercussions, then I'd fight to keep this job."_

_Greg smiled and squeezed the hand he was holding tightly. "You couldn't pry me away, Nicky." The two men just continued to gaze into one another's eyes until the blond suddenly grinned hugely. "There's no way they'll get rid of a coach having a winning season. You're half way through the regular season and you guys are undefeated. Those players don't know it, but you have a lucky charm this year." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively._

_Nick smiled at the wild haired man and nodded. "I have felt really lucky lately, and here I thought it was because I hadn't broken any mirrors in a really long time," he teased._

"_Naw, it's me, man. Better not let me get away. You may need me during the state finals." Greg wiggled in his seat, his face beaming and his voice teasing back in response._

_The coach laughed, "Don't jinx us, G." He then tilted his head and said more seriously, "I'm not planning on you going anywhere. At least not without me."_

_Greg nodded at Nick's words. "Good." Just then the waiter walked up, and after asking if they needed anything else, left the bill. As Nick turned in his chair to get his wallet out, Greg grabbed his hand back. Nick looked up at him and heard, "I'm going in to see Doc Robbins with you, Nick. We're in this together."_

_.  
_

_

* * *

_

Nick stopped in to talk to Doc's secretary on Thursday morning about setting up a meeting with the principal during his and Greg's lunch break. Once he'd arranged the appointment, he sent Greg a text confirming the meeting and time. He had tried to talk Greg out of going with him, but he couldn't sway the young teacher's mind.

The morning seemed to move slowly, but before he even realized it the bell was ringing and his last class of the morning was filing out into the hallway. Nick looked in the mirror hanging beside his office door and rubbed a hand over his eyes. The prospect of talking to Doc Robbins about him and Greg was scary and his stomach was doing flip-flops. He kept reminding himself that after this meeting he wouldn't have to hide their relationship, of course he wasn't about to flaunt it in his workplace, but it would be nice to have the option to talk freely in front of their friends during lunch breaks or socially after school.

Nick was walking out of his office and down the hallway towards the administration office, when he saw Greg strolling down the corridor coming towards him from the opposite direction. He was smiling and gave Nick a little wave. Suddenly a student stopped the chemistry teacher, and Greg's eyes left the other teacher to focus on the boy. Nick paused to watch the young man interact with the teenager.

He could see that even with their meeting with the principal looming, Greg took time to listen his student, and even took the boy's pencil and a piece of paper to write down an answer to his question. Nick smiled. He had only heard good things from the students in his own classes about the new chemistry teacher and his courses. Once again Nick inwardly hoped that their relationship would not hurt the young teacher's prospects in the school district.

As he let out a deep breath he saw the brown-eyed man's face turn back towards him as Greg continued to advance down the hallway. Nick watched his movements, so easy and yet, so controlled. The older teacher swallowed and returned his smile hesitantly.

"You up for this, Nick?" Greg asked. "I can wait if you're not ready to do it yet." He looked at his new boyfriend and gave him a look of concern. "I don't want to rush you."

Nick smiled and tilted his head toward the office door. "Let's do it, G. It may be awkward, but it won't be traumatic." He reached for the doorknob and after opening the door, waited until Greg had entered the reception area before following along behind.

Doc Robbin's secretary, Phyllis, smiled at the two men. "Doc's free and expecting you two. Go right on in."

They acknowledged her and after Greg gave the inner door a knock, entered the office to find the principal tapping away at his keyboard. "Just let me save this," he muttered, scowling at the screen. "Okay." He closed the lid of the laptop and raised his eyes to his teachers, smiling at them. "What's up, boys?"

Greg looked at Nick and saw the other teacher staring at his own hands. "It's not too late, Nick," he said softly.

The principal's eyes moved between the male teachers, taking note of the quiet gaze of the new teacher and the unease of his physical education instructor. "Is there something you two need to tell me? Are you two having trouble with the same student?"

Nick looked up at his supervisor and shook his head. "No Doc, there isn't a problem. We just had something to tell you that we thought you ought to know."

Doc Robbins nodded. "Okay, Nick. It's obviously something you find difficult to say. Perhaps Greg could fill me in." He turned to look at the younger man and leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on top of his desk.

"Well…," Greg opened his mouth to speak and Nick interrupted.

"No, it was my idea to talk to you. Greg's here because it involves him too." Doc nodded as Nick paused again, realizing that it was something important. Generally his football coach was never at a loss for words.

Nick started again, "Greg and I are dating, Doc."

The principal's eyebrows rose slightly and, although his jaw visibly relaxed, he caught himself and did not allow his mouth to hang open in surprise. Doc Robbins nodded slowly and then smiled at Greg. "It's nice to know you're not experiencing any problems getting along with our experienced teachers, Greg."

The new teacher gave his employer a big grin. "Everyone's been great, Dr. Robbins. I have no complaints." He reached over to give Nick's hand a quick squeeze. "See, not so scary, Nick."

Doc Robbins looked over at the other teacher. "Nick, did you think I'd have a problem with the two of you dating?"

Nick looked across the desk at the older man and shook his head. "I wasn't really worried about you, but I was asked to leave my previous school when parents found out there was a homosexual teacher and coach in the locker room with their sons. I just didn't want you blindsided if the fact that we're dating upsets anyone out there."

The principal's face had a look of hesitation as he leaned back in his chair and sighed. "There could be some individuals out there that might raise issue with your sexuality, Nick. I understand why you thought it necessary to inform me of your and Greg's relationship. From where I stand you have my support if that issue should ever arise. You are the same person you have been ever since I hired you. I placed my trust in you that day, and that trust hasn't wavered."

Nick's shoulders relaxed and he smiled at Greg before looking back at Doc. "Thank you for your support. I…we really appreciate it."

"I want you both to feel free to come talk to me if there is ever a hint of unpleasantness here at school. I can't stop talk outside of this campus, but I will not allow hatemongering to take place here while I'm in charge. I would just suggest that you two be discreet while around the students and parents. There's no need looking for trouble."

The two young men nodded their heads and stood to leave. The principal motioned towards the door, "The bell is about ready to ring. You both better get moving or you'll be late for class."

With another thank you to their boss and a few words to Phyllis, Nick and Greg left the administration office and stood in the almost deserted corridor. The slighter man grinned at the phys ed teacher. "Call me after practice, okay Nick?"

He couldn't help himself and smiled in response. "Yeah, G. You staying late tonight?"

"I might stay for awhile to get lesson plans done for next week. Do you want me to stick around until after practice?" Greg looked at Nick's lips.

His partner bit his lower lip in reply to that look. "Naw, it'll be late tonight. We have to go over films. I'll call you on my way home."

"Okay, Nick." He smiled and gave one last lingering look as the bell indicating the beginning of class rang. "Talk to you later." Greg turned and quickly moved down the hallway, trying not to run.

Nick grinned at his retreating back. Tonight he'd talk to Greg about telling Sara, Grissom, and the others about their dating when they came to Nick's for Saturday's cookout. He caught himself whistling and noticed he had a definite bounce in his step as he headed back towards the gym and his waiting class.

.

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews. I feel I am blessed by all your support.

I thought this story would have been completed by now, but the boys just won't let go. They keep whispering to me, "Don't forget to tell them about the time…" Greg was even a little miffed I didn't go into more detail about their hike at Lake Mead. (LOL) So until the boys decide they need a little privacy, I guess I'll just keep blabbing about their school year. ;0)

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	15. Chapter 15

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

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Greg walked into the teacher's break room on Friday and found Sara and Catherine eating their lunches without either of their respective male counterparts. He walked over to them and smiled, indicating an empty chair, "You saving this for anyone?"

"Looks like we saved it for you, Greg. Have a seat and join us." Catherine grinned at the young man.

Greg plopped down and tilted his head toward the empty end of the table. "Where's everyone else today?" He did wonder about Grissom and Warrick, but he was really more interested in where Nick was at the present time.

Sara speared a piece of pineapple from her bowl and before popping it in her mouth, answered, "Gil is meeting with a student. I don't know about anyone else."

Greg and Sara both looked at Catherine. She shrugged her shoulders. "Warrick is letting a student have more driving time prior to her road exam. He said it was either that or telling everyone he knew to stay off the roads for the immediate future." They all chuckled at her words, knowing that the driver's ed teacher was probably having a difficult time of it right now. "I imagine Nick's nerves are making if difficult for him to think about eating today."

"His nerves?" Greg asked looking at the home ec teacher with a frown.

"The game tonight probably has him a little tightly wound," she nodded.

Greg leaned forward, his eyes focused intently on Catherine's face. "Is tonight's game particularly important?" He felt uncomfortable asking the blonde, thinking that if there was something important about the football game that night, Nick should have already told him.

Catherine looked at him questioningly. "He didn't tell you?"

Greg shook his head, his heart plummeting. "We haven't talked about tonight's game. What's up?"

"Tonight's game is against our largest rival, it's usually one of the key games of the season. It's especially important this year, as they're undefeated at this point also. Tonight one of the teams takes their first loss."

All Greg could think of at the moment was how worried Nick had been about talking to Doc Robbins yesterday, when he had this game in the offing. He wished that he had known and could have given his boyfriend his support over the past week, instead of teasing him about the state finals. He remembered that Nick had asked Greg not to jinx them. Damn.

Nick wouldn't be free now until after the game tonight. Greg yearned to forego his afternoon courses and spend his time in Nick's office being available for the other teacher during his few moments between classes, but he knew that was out of the question.

He glanced at the two women and saw that they were both looking at him strangely. Catherine had a look of empathy, as if she knew that the fact Nick had not told him about the importance of this game hurt Greg. Sara, on the other hand, was staring at him as if she were Grissom and Greg was some type of insect.

Needing to diffuse the conversation, Greg smiled at his coworkers. "Being a new teacher here means I learn new information about this place everyday. Next year I won't have to ask so many questions."

Sara appeared satisfied with his explanation and returned to her bowl of fruit. Catherine, however, gave Greg a knowing smile. "Anytime a person enters a new environment, it takes awhile to learn all the pertinent background information. You've had a steep learning curve to master and you're doing great. Don't get discouraged, Greg."

The young teacher nodded and looked down at his own lunch, pushing the contents from the brown bag around anxiously. Catherine took pity on him. "Hey, Warrick, Lindsey and I are going out for a quick bite before the game. How about you go with us, Greg?"

The chemistry teacher shook his head. "Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll drive myself tonight. I have a few errands to run this evening before the game."

Catherine acknowledged his response and gathered up the remains of her lunch. "The bell is going to ring in a couple of minutes. I have to get back to my classroom. I have a student coming in early to defend her right to turn in every project late."

Sara and Greg chuckled at her words as Greg stuffed his mostly uneaten lunch back into his bag. "I'm outta here too. See you both tonight." He stood and after a quick smile to the women, left the break room.

The dark-haired teacher looked at the blonde, "There's something about that guy that I just can't grasp."

Catherine laughed. "He's a little different, but it's a good different, Sara. I'm gone." She moved toward the doorway, leaving the other teacher to finish gathering up her lunch debris.

.

* * *

Everyone on both sides of the stadium was standing and, even though there were well over a thousand people in attendance, it may have been possible to hear a pin drop, if one had been inclined to focus on anything other than what was happening on the football field. The game was in overtime and Nick's team was in possession of the ball with only twenty seconds left on the clock.

Greg could see Nick talking to his quarterback during their last time out. As both sides moved into position, Greg saw all of the players standing on their sidelines drop to one knee. He wanted to ask Warrick what was going on, but he couldn't take his eyes off the field.

He watched the center snap the ball and held his breath as the quarterback faked a pass to a first player, before sending the ball spiraling down the field to the right end. There was a collective gasp as the player snagged the ball, tucking it in tightly before barreling toward the goal line. At that point the stands erupted in a frenzy of screams as if the fans thought their voices could carry the player a little faster down the field.

Greg watched the receiver side step a diving defensive player and scamper into the end zone, turning to throw his arms up in the air in imitation of the referee signaling the touchdown. The buzzer indicating the end of the game went off, but it was almost inaudible due to the noise coming from the home stands.

The young chemistry teacher found himself being pulled and tugged between several bodies belonging to his fellow teachers as they all felt the need to show their excitement and perhaps even ground themselves following the extreme tension of the final play. Greg tried to keep his eyes on the sidelines to watch Nick's reaction to the end of the game.

The dark-haired coach was surrounded by his players and assistant coaches, as fans began to pour out onto the field and into the mass of players creating an even greater swarm. Greg watched Nick pat a few more people on the back before moving out of the melee and looking up into the stands, finding Greg and smiling. The young teacher relaxed and grinned back. He hadn't jinxed the football team this week. He loved the look of pure enjoyment that was on his boyfriend's face.

He watched as a couple of the local television crews moved towards Nick, trying to get a sound bite before the late evening news. The coach gave Greg a small wave before turning towards the advancing cameramen.

Greg felt an arm wrap around his waist and turned to see Catherine move into his personal space. "We're going out for a couple of drinks to celebrate," she indicated to the usual group of teachers. "You want to go with us, Greg?"

He looked at the group waiting for his answer and shrugged, "Sorry, but I have plans for after the game already." Greg noticed a few of the group exchanging questioning glances. "I'll see you all tomorrow at Nick's cookout, right?"

Catherine pulled him towards her in a side-to-side hug, before letting him go. "Don't stay out too late tonight, Greg. I think Nick was hoping you would help him get the charcoal grill going in the morning."

Greg smiled at the blue-eyed teacher. "I've got it covered." He turned back to the others, "Have a good time tonight. Drink a couple for me."

They laughed and moved towards the walkway at the bottom of the bleachers. Greg smiled at their retreating backs and then sat back down to watch the crowd on the field, which seemed to be expanding, instead of dwindling.

.

* * *

He sat in his car in the school parking lot a few spaces away from Nick's truck, watching as the last few players filtered out of the doors leading from the locker room. When he began to see the assistant coaches leaving the building, he knew that the object of his wait would soon be making an appearance.

About five minutes later he watched Nick step out of the school, turning to say good-bye to the night custodian who was waiting to lock the outer door. Greg watched him walk towards his truck, rolling his head from side to side as if trying to loosen his shoulder muscles. The chemistry teacher glanced around the parking lot, realizing that there were no other vehicles present and smiled to himself as he opened his car door.

At the sound of the door opening, Nick's head popped up and his eyes quickly scanned the lot, settling on Greg closing his car door and leaning against the hood. "Good game, Nicky," he called out softly.

"Hey G, you didn't have to wait around." Nick responded in a tired voice.

Greg levered himself off the hood and walked towards Nick, their bodies meeting in the shadowed dark of the lot beside Nick's truck. "I could always leave," he countered without much conviction. "I just wanted to congratulate you on the win and tell you that the next time you keep me in the dark about the importance of a game I'm going to be seriously upset. I'll give you this one, Stokes, because you had other things on your mind this week. But don't go being all secretive on me. Understand?"

Nick looked at the younger man and pressed him up alongside his truck placing his hands on either side of the lean body. "I didn't really allow myself time to think about the game until last night, after we'd talked to Doc and agreed on the decision to come out to our friends on Saturday. I didn't mean to keep you in the dark, Greg, really." He leaned forward to place a kiss at the corner of Greg's mouth. "Forgive me?"

The transplanted Californian groaned and tilted his chin, bringing his lips in contact with Nick's. "We shouldn't be doing this here," he murmured, placing his hands on the dark-haired man's waist and opening his mouth in response to Nick's advances.

The older teacher allowed himself a few more moments enjoying the wet warmth of Greg's mouth, before disengaging his lips and resting his forehead on that of the slighter man. "Give me a minute here, G," he asked as he tried to regain control of his body.

Greg smiled and waited until the phys ed teacher's breathing mirrored his own. "You're tired, Nicky,…" Nick's stomach rumbled, "and hungry." He chuckled softly. "Follow me home."

Nick raised his head and tried to read Greg's face in the dim light as he continued, "If Catherine's right, you didn't eat today. Follow me home. I picked you up some lasagna at Moreno's after school. It will only take me a few minutes to reheat it." Nick's stomach growled again. "Sounds like your belly's saying, yes." When the other man didn't answer, Greg pressed one more time. "Let me take care of you, Nicky."

"Sounds good, Greg." He leaned it to give Greg one more quick peck on the lips before moving away from the younger man's body. Greg walked over to his car and waited until Nick unlocked his truck before getting into his car and starting the engine.

It took about fifteen minutes until the two vehicles were parked in the lot at Greg's apartment complex. After locking his car, Greg waited for Nick to join him, before walking to the building. The older man approached and stretched out his hand seeking contact with Greg. The wild-haired man linked his fingers with Nick's and they walked into the building, their shoulders brushing against each other with each step.

Upon entering Greg's apartment, Nick wrapped an arm around the young man's waist and pulled him up flush with his body, raising his other hand to the nape of Greg's neck, gently massaging the skin and threading through the hair at his collar. Greg reciprocated the embrace by placing an arm around Nick's shoulders and lifting his other hand to his cheek, cupping it and running his thumb over Nick's lower lip.

As their bodies slowly melded together, the two men allowed their lips to meet and linger sweetly. Their kisses were gentle and unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world to be together. Nick turned his head slightly to run his tongue along Greg's jaw line and the other man lifted his chin to allow greater access, shifting his hand to tangle in the dark hair of his boyfriend.

Suddenly a loud rumble erupted from Nick's stomach, causing both men to startle and Greg to burst out laughing. "Guess we better feed you, Nick." He trailed his hand down to Nick's chest and gave him a gentle shove toward the couch. "The remote's on the coffee table, turn on the television and find something while I warm up your food." He moved away from Nick and walked towards the kitchen.

When he came back into the living room, he saw Nick had taken off his shoes and was reclining on the couch with his feet on the scarred coffee table. Greg handed him a plate filled with a large portion of lasagna and set a bottle of beer on the table. Nick looked at him with thanks and settled in to eat. Greg glanced at the television and saw that Nick had decided on an action movie on a cable channel.

Greg slipped off his own shoes and settled down on Nick's left side, snuggling in as the hungry man started to eat his late supper. "'s good, G. Thanks," Nick murmured between bites. Greg tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against Nick's shoulder in response. It felt nice just sitting here alone with Nick. It was something they had not allowed themselves during the month they had been dating due to the temptations involved.

Nick finished his meal and sat forward to put his plate on the coffee table. As he settled back on the cushions, he snatched up a throw that was laying on the end of the couch. The dark-haired man wiggled his body sideways, allowing him to pull his legs up on the seat, maneuvering Greg so that he was stretched out along his side. Yawning, Greg reached out to help Nick spread the coverlet over their combined bodies, before laying his head back on the muscular shoulder. Nick placed a kiss on the soft spiky hair and lowered his head to the arm of the couch, closing his eyes as John McClane battled terrorists in a high-rise on the television screen.

.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.**

* * *

**Nick awoke to the feel of warm breath on his neck and a body draped along his left side. Hearing the low murmur of the television, he remembered immediately where he was and whose arm and leg were holding him snuggly against their adjoining body. He smiled. His back felt stiff and he was sure the moment he moved his neck there would be some pain involved, but a little discomfort was worth it to wake up wrapped in Greg.**

**He wondered briefly what time it was, but his left arm was buried somewhere between the back of the couch and Greg's body. Nick could tell by the brightness in the room that he had slept longer than normal and was going to have to get up soon to go home to get ready for his guests, but a more immediate need was the bathroom.**

**Nick tilted his head and felt soft hair tickle the underside of his chin. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the smell of Greg's shampoo and hair products. That smell was one which he had come to love over the past few weeks. In complete darkness, Nick was sure he could find the young man by this smell alone.**

**He raised his right hand to run his fingers through the silky strands. From this angle, Nick could see the darker roots starting to show and wondered how Greg would take a request to not color his hair until the blond hair currently on his head only remained on the tips of his tresses. He liked that Greg was a free spirit when it came to his hair and the idea of Greg with two-toned hair was very, very hot.**

**Nick felt the subtle shift in Greg's body as it moved from sleep to a semi-conscious state. He allowed the hand that had been stroking the young man's head to travel down his neck, across his shoulder, and along the arm that was draped across Nick's own chest, before taking hold of the attached hand and entangling their fingers. He felt Greg's body give that first awakening stretch that signals that a person is aware of consciousness and is struggling to accept that status.**

**"Mmmm," Greg mumbled against Nick's shoulder. "How much longer are you going to make me lie here and wait for my wake up kiss?"**

**Nick chuckled and shifted his body until Greg was lying fully on top of him, his legs between Nick's. "Just waiting for you to move your lips a little further north, G. You're the sleepy head this morning."**

**Greg raised his head and rested his chin on Nick's chest. "You should have woke me sooner."**

**The dark-haired man lifted his now freed left hand and rested it on the other man's lower back. "I was enjoying watching you sleep," he said softly.**

**"You'd have enjoyed me awake a lot more, Nicky." Greg shifted his body higher, making sure to keep contact with the form beneath him as he moved, his eyes never leaving that of the other man. Nick's breath hitched as Greg ceased moving, stopping when his lips were directly over Nick's.**

**"So now do I get my wake up kiss?" His eyes finally left Nick's and focused on his lips, his own parting in anticipation.**

**Nick's hips surged upwards, his hand skimming Greg's back, entangling in the soft hair at the nape of his neck. "Good morning," he murmured just before capturing the full lips hovering above him. It was a leisurely kiss, full of promise and desire.**

**As the two broke apart for air, Greg smiled down at Nick. "I think you owe me a good-night kiss, too."**

**Nick grinned at the young man draped across his body. "I don't like the idea of owing anybody, G. I better take care of that debt right now." He gently pressed his hand against the back of Greg's head and was rewarded with the touch of his lips again. This kiss was even sweeter and slower than the first. **

**Nick had never remembered waking up with someone and wanting just to hold them and enjoy their presence. He'd experienced some occasions of morning-after sex, just because it was available, but mostly he'd gotten his butt out of whatever bed he found himself in and hurried home to wash off the smell of the other person.**

**Last night hadn't been about sex, and neither was this morning. It was just about being with the other person and enjoying the companionship and warmth of someone he didn't want to run away from in the bright light of day. It was relaxed and easy, like they'd done it dozens of times before and would do it thousands of times again.**

**"Nicky," Greg whispered into his partner's neck, as his lips drifted, "what are you thinking about?"**

**Nick gave a small sound of satisfaction and stroked the younger man's hair. "I was just thinking that this feels right, waking up with you draped across me."**

**Greg raised his head and grinned down at the reclining form. "Yeah, it does feel right, doesn't it?" He leaned down to give Nick a quick, but firm kiss and then shifted his body back down to return his head to Nick's shoulder. "Ought to be like this everyday, Nick."**

* * *

**Nick watched Greg flip the burgers under the watchful eye of the driver's education teacher. He could see the younger man patiently smile at Warrick as he gave suggestions on how best to cook the meat on the grill. The host smiled. Greg was indeed patient, if Nick had been manning the spatula he would have long since given it over to Warrick with a disgusted grunt. But Nick had asked Greg to man the grill, and his boyfriend was not giving up the task to anyone else.**

**Catherine had taken it upon herself to man the food table, as he'd known she would. She was predictable and Nick loved that about her. It freed him up to move among his friends and talk about last night's football game. He was glad that last night's win coincided with this get together. It made the announcement he and Greg were going to make later all that much sweeter.**

**He looked over towards the grill again and caught Greg's eye, remembering how his lithe body had felt pressed up against his earlier that morning. He knew Greg was thinking about the same thing as his face flushed and his lips parted. Nick watched as Warrick turned to see what Greg was looking at and smiled. Warrick shook his head slightly and reached over to take the spatula from Greg's hand, nodding his head toward Nick when Greg turned to look at the green-eyed man. **

**Greg acquiesced and relinquished the kitchen tool, before moving towards Nick. His body felt as tight as a guitar string and although he didn't know the exact moment his boyfriend was planning on telling their assembled friends about their relationship, Greg was done waiting.**

**Nick saw him approaching, seeing the gleam in his eye and the determined look on his face. 'Well, I guess he's ready to announce it,' was his thought just before Greg stopped in front of him, one hand going to the back of his neck and the other taking a fist full of shirt to pull him in close. Nick had just enough time to give the other man a quick nod of encouragement before his lips were covered and Greg took possession of his mouth.**

**Nick only had one free hand at that moment, but that hand went to Greg's lower back pulling him in as close as possible, while he allowed the other man to take control of the kiss. He momentarily forgot about the other people in his backyard, his entire thought processes taken up with the idea of Greg, his taste, and the feelings he was producing.**

**When the two men pulled apart for air, Greg rested his forehead on Nick's shoulder, "Sorry Nick. I…."**

**"No sorrys allowed, G," he whispered to the other man, gently stroking his back. "Guess we better end the 'floor show' as Warrick would say." He raised his head to find the three other couples staring at them. Warrick and Catherine were grinning, but most of the others looked to be in shock. Nick gave a quick prayer of thanks that he didn't see any looks of disgust among the assembled group.**

**He turned Greg towards his guests and nestled him close to his side. "Greg and I invited you here today…," he began.**

* * *

**Greg sat back and watched Hodges flirt with Wendy. The mathematician was blushing as the dark-haired girl smiled at him and pushed her hair back exposing her neck. 'Ah,' thought Greg, 'that pairing might actually have a chance.' Although he had seen Hodges try to flirt with the young teacher on previous occasions, this was the first time he'd ever seen Wendy so obviously respond in such a positive manner. He watched as she leaned closer to the math teacher and placed a hand on his knee. Greg's eyes widened at her overture. 'Hope he doesn't blow it," he thought with a smile.**

**He turned his head to look over at the picnic table, where Nick sat with the other four guests. Warrick sat at one end of the table straddling the seat, Catherine resting against his chest. Sara and Grissom sat on the opposite side of the table, and although they were not touching there was an intimacy in their postures. Nick was smiling at the two couples, before laughing at something Warrick said.**

**Greg leaned back in his lawn chair and closed his eyes briefly, remembering Nick's words earlier in the afternoon. _"Greg and I invited you here today because we wanted all of you, our friends, to know that we've been seeing each other. We've been dating for a month and, while we're not posting it on any billboards, we wanted you all to know."_**

**"_Why the secrecy, Nick?" Sara had asked, looking a little put out that she hadn't figured out the relationship before it had been announced._**

**"_The locker room," Gil had said very matter-of-factly, as Sara turned to look at him. "Nick was worried about what would be said about the fact that he spends time in the boy's locker room." He turned to look at the phys ed teacher for confirmation._**

**"_Yeah," responded Nick. "I had a problem with that back in Dallas and I am hoping not to have a repeat here in Vegas. I would never ask any of you to lie for me, but unless it becomes public knowledge I'd appreciate it if you'd respect our privacy and not make it water cooler gossip."_**

**_Wendy smiled at the two men. "Thanks for trusting us. I feel proud to have been included in your circle of friends today." She rose and came over to give Nick and Greg both a hug before standing back and saying with a smirk, "Just to let you know, that anytime you want to make out in front of me again, go for it. It was really hot."_**

**Greg opened his eyes and looked back over towards the picnic table. Nick was watching him and smiling. He smiled in return and saw the dark-haired man pat the small section of bench seat that was still open beside him. Greg grinned widely. That bench seat was really only comfortable for three people and there were already three sitting there, and although Catherine was sitting really close to Warrick there wasn't much seat left available for another person. If he chose to join Nick they would have to sit very, very close. His grin got even bigger as he stood to walk over to the table.**

* * *

**Greg was gathering up the last of the debris from the cookout, as Nick was escorting the remaining guests to the front door. He was just settling the lid back on the trashcan when Nick came back out into the backyard with a couple of beers. "Last two bottles, G."**

**The young man accepted the offer and followed Nick over to the picnic table. As the older man straddled the bench seat, Greg took up a position similar to the one Catherine had exhibited earlier in the afternoon with Warrick and rested his head against Nick's shoulder.**

**"Thank you, Nick," Greg said quietly, hoping Nick realized he wasn't talking about the beer.**

**Nick's arms encircled the young man's body, as he rested his free hand on Greg's hip. "No, thank you. I was over thinking the whole thing, trying to find the perfect time to make the announcement. I liked the way you took control of the situation. I have to admit that I like to be in control most of the time, but anytime you want to take charge feel free to do so." He pressed a kiss to Greg's temple. "Wendy was right. You were hot today."**

**"She said _we_ were hot, Nicky. And she's right. _We _are." Greg lifted his head off of Nick's shoulder to capture his lips in a kiss. It started off softly, but Nick quickly set his beer on the table to wrap his arms more tightly around Greg's body. As the men broke the kiss to fill their lungs back up with air, Greg shifted his body to straddle the bench seat, facing Nick. He draped his legs over the Texan's and brought his body as flush to Nick's as possible, before leaning in for another kiss.**

**Nick placed his hands on Greg's hips and pulled him closer, as the young man clung to Nick's shoulders trying for greater leverage. "So. Damn. Hot." Greg was murmuring against the warm skin under his lips.**

**Nick was just going to suggest moving inside when he became aware of his house phone ringing. He debated ignoring it, but Greg loosened his grip and said he'd better go answer it. After untangling their legs, Nick stood and took a few shaky steps before regaining full control of his body and entering the house. **

**Greg rested his back against the edge of the table and took a long draw of his beer that had miraculously survived the frantic embrace. He knew he was ready for whatever was going to happen this evening, more than ready. He glanced towards the back door, realizing that whoever was on the other end of the phone call required more than just a quick response from Nick.**

**He stood and walked out into the yard, gathering up the few remaining lawn chairs that were scattered on the grass. Greg placed the chairs in the small shed at the back of the house and sat back down. There was nothing else that needed to be done in the back yard, but he didn't want to enter the house and interrupt Nick's phone call. Their relationship was still new enough that he understood his boyfriend might have things he wasn't ready to share with Greg.**

**Greg raised his bottle and finished off the remaining liquid. He rolled the bottle between his hands, before leaning forward to pick at the label. He had almost managed to loosen the label in one piece when he heard the screen door open and looked up to see Nick exit the house. The look on his face was hesitant and Greg felt his stomach fall. This was not the same Nick that had left his side ten minutes ago, this was a nervous, unsure Nick. Greg realized that whatever promise the evening had held earlier had evaporated with the phone call Nick had received.**

**He stood and walked over to Nick and placed a hand on his cheek. "What is it, Nick?" **

**The dark-haired man raised his eyes to meet Greg's. He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "That was my dad congratulating me on last night's win. He and mom decided that since next week is a long weekend, they are coming to Vegas. He said they could watch my game on Saturday, spend Sunday with me, and then fly home on Columbus Day."**

**Greg stroked Nick's cheek gently. "And that's a bad thing because…?"**

**Nick looked at Greg and smiled. "It's not a bad thing, but it's so early in our relationship I don't want anything to tarnish it. My parents know about me, they had to after the deal in Dallas, but …"**

**Greg's hand paused its movements. "You don't have to tell them yet, Nick. I'm not going to pressure you…"**

**Nick shook his head. "I want them to know about us. It's just….."**

**"Do they love you, Nick?" he asked quietly, already knowing the answer.**

**"Of course they do, G."**

**Greg smiled at the man in front of him. "Then they'll be happy for you. For us."**

**Nick looked him in the eyes and saw his reasoning, nodding in agreement.**

**"When are they arriving?" Greg asked, in an attempt to get Nick's mind on specifics, not what ifs.**

**"Friday night. I'll pick them up from the airport after school." He smiled at the young man in front of him. "Would you join us for supper? I'd like to introduce you to them."**

**"I'd love to meet your parents, Nicky, if you're ready for me to do that." He wrapped his arms around Nick's waist and rested his head on his shoulder.**

**"Good," said Nick. "I know my momma's gonna love you."**

**"What about your dad?" Greg asked quietly, suddenly hesitant at Nick's words.**

**"You'll grow on him, G. Once you got my momma on your side, the old man will be a piece of cake. He acts all macho out in public, but momma's got that man whipped in private. But don't ever tell him I said that," he added quickly.**

**Greg laughed and shook his head. "Your secret is safe with me, Nick." **

**.**


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Thanks for all the nice reviews everyone. Hope everyone is ready to meet the parents. lol

* * *

Nick was late. He'd had a mini-crisis with one of his players and as a result he was not going to make it to the airport before his parent's plane touched down. He was still five minutes away when he flipped open his cell phone to dial his father's number.

After a few rings, his father answered, "Stokes."

"Hey, Dad. It's Nick. I'm running late. Something at work. I should be there in about five minutes."

"No problem, son. Just pull up outside when you get here. Your momma and I will be waiting. Don't speed, ya hear me?"

"Okay. See you in a couple, Dad." He flipped his phone shut.

Nick saw the signs for McCarran and changed lanes preparing to turn. He hadn't seen his parents since the first week in July and was excited to see them again, although he was a little nervous about introducing them to Greg. He knew his parents would like the young man, everyone did, but he'd really never brought anyone home to meet them before and knows just how significant his parents would see this introduction.

Turning into the airport property, Nick slowed down focusing on the signs, looking for the correct terminal. He smiled as he saw his parents and stopped in the unloading zone, putting the truck into park before jumping out to envelope his mother in a hug. He gave his dad a pat on the shoulder and received a grunt in return. According to his father, Stokes men didn't hug each other in public. Nick would have to wait until he was home to give his father a hello hug.

"Sorry, I'm running late. One of my linemen was having issues with another teacher. If I hadn't stayed to smooth things over he might have been given a one day suspension and I would have lost him tomorrow." He moved to take the overnight bags from his parents and set them in the back of the truck, before opening the passenger door for his parents. "Hope you don't mind the truck. I wasn't thinking. I should have borrowed a car from a friend."

"Not a problem, Nick," his mother said as she put out her hand for support getting into the vehicle. "I may work in the city, but living on the ranch, I've spent many a hour in a truck." She turned to smile at him as she scooted across the bench seat.

Nick smiled back at his mother. He'd missed hearing her voice in person, it never sounded the same on the phone. He backed away from the truck door and looked at his father, "I'm glad you guys decided to visit, dad."

The older man nodded. "Been too long son." Nick's dad moved to get into the truck and Nick walked around to the driver's side.

As they left the airport Nick's mother looked over at her son and smiled. "So, other than having a really good season in football, what else is new, honey? You haven't been calling as much lately. You're father and I were a little worried about you."

Nick heard his father grunt in annoyance. "Your momma's still having trouble cutting those apron strings, Nick. I told her there was nothing to worry about."

Keeping his eyes on the road, Nick decided to let his parents settle their little discussion before answering his mother.

"You were the one who suggested this trip, William Stokes," she retorted. "I was just going to come out and ask him on the phone if there was a problem."

There was a moment of silence in the cab of the truck, then Nick's father said, "You didn't answer your momma, Nick. What's going on?"

Nick chuckled. "Just making sure you two were finished discussing who was the most concerned about me." He paused before continuing, "Nothing's wrong. I didn't realize I'd slacked off on my phone calls to you. I apologize. I've just been busier this fall than before, spent a little more time away from home."

Nick's mother looked at her son closely and could see him fidget in his seat. She smiled. "What's his name, honey?" From the corner of his eye he could see his father tense and look in Nick's direction at her question.

"Greg," he answered, a smile on his face. "How did you know, Momma?"

"I know my son, sweetie. You have a glow about you."

"A glow?" Nick chortled. "Well, I don't know about that, but there are times my cheeks hurt a little from smiling so much."

"We're happy for you, Nick. Aren't we, Bill?" she said, placing a hand on her husband's knee and turning to look at him.

The older Stokes man nodded. "We've only ever wanted you to be happy, son. Will we get to meet your young man while we're here this weekend?" Bill Stokes wasn't sure if he wanted the answer to be in the affirmative, or if he wanted a reprieve until a later date. He wasn't about to let his wife or son know that he still held a secret hope that his youngest child would eventually fall in love with a young lady.

"I invited him to supper with us tonight. He's a little nervous, so go easy on him, okay?" Nick said as he pulled into his driveway, turning off the vehicle and looking at his parents. "This is really important to me. Greg is really important to me." He saw their eyes widen at his words. "He's special."

Nick's mother nodded and patted her husband's knee. "If he is important to you, then we'll be on our best behavior, right Bill?" Nick could see his father nod at his wife's words.

* * *

Greg sat in his car in front of Nick's house, gazing at the door. This was huge in his mind. He'd met the parents of other people he had dated over the years, but never had he cared this much how they would view him. Nick had told him during their first date that his father was a judge and his mother, an attorney. Greg looked in the rearview mirror at his wild, bleached hair and sighed. He was definitely not dateable material for the son of an attorney and a judge.

He glanced down at his clothing. He'd tried really hard to look the part of a good boyfriend. A trip to the mall earlier in the week had enabled him to purchase a nice button-down shirt, tie and dress pants. His checking account wouldn't allow for the purchase of a new jacket at this point, so he had to settle for the leather jacket he'd received from his parents for Christmas a couple of years ago.

He looked back at Nick's front door and sighed. Greg wanted this to be perfect. He'd even offered to drive tonight so they wouldn't have to take two vehicles. A quick glance around the interior told him that no stray fast food wrappers had suddenly appeared after the trip to the car wash the day before. He had made sure that the interior and exterior were spotless before paying the fee for the service.

Greg looked at Nick's door again and then at his watch. Great now he was officially late. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel and groaned.

* * *

"I don't know what's keeping him, he's never late," Nick said for the second time in the last five minutes. He was beginning to hope that Greg had not gotten cold feet over meeting his parents.

Jillian Stokes walked to the window and drew the curtain aside. She stood there for a moment before motioning for Nick to join her. As he approached, she nodded out the window to the car sitting at the curb. "Is that your young man out there, honey?"

Nick looked out the window and saw Greg sitting in his car, his head bent over the steering wheel. "Yeah, that's Greg."

"You better get out there and calm his fears before he takes off, Nick, because I think I noticed that car pull up ten minutes ago. When no one came to the door, I assumed it must have belonged to your neighbor." Nick's mother gave her son a push towards the door.

As he left the house, Jillian gestured to her husband to join her at the window, putting her arm around his waist as they watched their son open the car door and slip inside.

* * *

Greg's head popped up as the car door opened. "What's up, G?" Nick asked quietly reaching a hand out to rest on the shoulder of his boyfriend. "You aren't gonna bolt on me, are you?"

The young chemistry teacher turned to face Nick, his eyes showing his uncertainty with the upcoming evening. "I'm not what they expect, Nick. I'm too…," his voice trailed off and he looked down at his knees.

"You're perfect, G." He moved his hand from Greg's shoulder to his chin, raising it so that the young man was looking back at him again. "And according to my momma, you make me glow."

"Glow?" Greg grinned. "And here I thought that shine coming from you was a reflection off your smile."

"No, I guess that's just my response to having you in my life, G." He stroked his fingers from Greg's chin to his cheek. "Let's go in, okay?"

Greg nodded and moved to open his car door. As he rounded the car, Nick took his hand and laced their fingers before moving up the sidewalk to the door. "They're gonna love you, G. I promise."

* * *

As soon as Greg entered Nick's living room Jillian Stokes walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. "It's so nice to meet you, honey. Nick's spent the last hour telling us all about you. Please call me Jillian."

Greg smiled at her in response. "He's told me about you too, but he never mentioned his mom was a babe." He heard the other two men in the room take a collective gasp at his remark. 'Crap,' he thought, 'I blew it already.'

Nick's mother reached up to pat his cheek and turned to her son. "He's a keeper, Nick. I don't care what anybody else has to say on the matter."

Nick looked at Greg, his eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. Greg just shrugged, "My Papa Olaf always said as long as you're honest, flattery is the fastest way to a woman's heart. Of course that was before he knew I liked the guys better than the girls, but it still works on occasion."

"Only you, G," laughed Nick. He gestured towards his father. "This is my dad, William Stokes."

Greg extended his hand and nodded. "Sir. It's nice to meet you."

"Please call me Bill, Greg. The only people who call me sir are on the other side of the judicial bench. and they're generally in handcuffs."

"I hate to hurry us along, but I made reservations at that restaurant Momma wanted to eat at, and if we don't get going we'll be late," Nick interjected.

"That's okay, honey," said Jillian, "we'll have plenty of time to talk at the restaurant." Nick handed his mother her wrap and moved to open the front door.

Greg allowed Nick's parents to walk out in front of him, and as he passed the phys ed teacher he leaned in to whisper, "Not too scary, Nick. Not too scary, at all."

* * *

Greg pulled up in front of The Palazzo and handed his keys to the valet as the Stokes family exited his car. Nick had told Greg on the way to the casino, that his parents always planned their first evening in Vegas ahead of time using the internet. Apparently Bill didn't care where he ate, as long as there was steak on the menu, but Jillian liked to try a new place each visit. This time around she wanted to visit Table 10, a restaurant owned by a famous television chef.

She admitted during the ride from Nick's house that her secret vice was watching The Food Network whenever she was home alone. Jillian told Greg that she had tried at least one new recipe a week for the last five years. At that the young teacher had heard Nick's father give a heavy sigh. Evidently he was a man who like tried and true, and wasn't impressed with new and exotic. Bill Stokes was a meat and potatoes man, but he had allowed his wife to experiment with his diet for the last five years. Greg smiled. That was true love. No matter how the man felt about Greg at the end of the weekend, the young man knew that he liked Nick's father based on that one fact.

When the foursome was seated and menus were passed out, Greg's stomach took a dive looking at the prices. He was mentally trying to remember how much money he had in his wallet and knew he needed enough left after the meal to tip the valet at the end of the evening.

Nick was watching Greg as he opened the menu and saw his eyes widen. He could see the wheels turning in the young man's mind as he scanned the possibilities. He realized that Greg was beginning to panic and suspected it was due to the prices he was seeing.

"Hey Greg, I haven't told you the rules about dining with the 'Visiting Stokes Parents', have I?" Greg turned his head towards Nick and gave him a puzzled look. Jillian looked over at the boys and smiled. Her son went on to explain, "The rules for dining with the 'Visiting Stokes Parents' were decided years ago, when I was still in high school and some of my older siblings moved away from Dallas. Night One, Momma and Daddy pick the restaurant and pay all the expenses for the evening. Night Two, the child they are visiting picks the restaurant and pays for everything. If there are more than two nights, then everyone argues about the restaurants and bills for the duration of the visit."

Greg laughed out loud. "So it's in everyone's best interest to keep the visits short. Maintains good family dynamics, huh?"

Jillian joined in his laughter. "I hadn't thought about it like that, but it does work that way. I love to eat out at nice restaurants when I go out of town and early on I realized that when we visited our children, they felt the need to pay for our meals. This way everyone feels comfortable." She reached across the table to pat his hand, "Order anything you like, honey. I'll feel insulted if you cheap out on me."

"Thank you for including me tonight," he replied, looking at both of Nick's parents.

Bill Stokes nodded at him. "Like Jillian said, order whatever you want, Greg. We've got by cheap with Nick during our previous visits. Those other kids of ours have so many dependents I have to up my line of credit before a visit with them."

Nick smiled at his father. He knew that this was a little difficult for him, but he was really trying and Nick appreciated his effort.

Greg looked at the menu again and grinned. "I'm betting you're going with the rib eye or the filet of beef, Bill. Am I right?"

The older man nodded. "Yeah, thought I'd try the rib eye and pair it up with the creamed spinach and smashed potatoes."

He had been right, Nick's dad was a meat and potatoes man. He looked at the menu again. "Let's see. I'm guessing Nick's mother is either going with seared king salmon or the lobster. What about it, Jillian?"

"The salmon, with some asparagus. Are you psychic, Greg?" she laughed.

Greg hedged. He'd been watching Jillian and had observed the section of menu she'd been focusing on. "Well supposedly my Nana Olaf was psychic and my family believes I may have inherited her gift. But honestly if I were psychic I wouldn't have been cowering in my car earlier. I'd have known how enjoyable this evening was going to be."

"Evening's still young, Greg. It could go all downhill from here," Nick joked, reaching over to hold the young man's hand.

"Bite your tongue, Nicky. I'm on my best behavior here and you're momma loves me. Right, Jillian?" He threw her the cheesiest grin imaginable and batted his eyelashes.

Nick and his mother burst out laughing, and Greg could see that Judge Stokes was having a hard time not joining them. Jillian reached across the table to grab his hand again and in a stage whisper said, "Next time I can get away and visit Vegas, let's not tell our significant others. I'd like you to show me some of those clubs my son and husband won't take me to when I come here to see Nick."

Greg smiled at Nick's mother. "You're on, Jillian. With a piece of eye candy like you on my arm, we won't have to wait in any lines to enter the trendy clubs. Just give me plenty of notice so that I can come up with a good excuse for dumping Nicky for the evening."

The entire table, Nick's father included was laughing outright as their waitress came to take their order. Nick listened to his parents give the waitress their respective orders, while he kept his eyes on his boyfriend. When the waitress moved on to ask Greg for his order, his eyes caught Nick's. He gave his order without looking away from the dark-haired man. When Nick's turn came he merely pointed at the menu, not looking down. He wasn't sure what he ordered, but whatever it was he'd eat it and be glad the evening was going so well.

* * *

.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg pulled up in front of Nick's house and turned the car off. Nick and his parents were talking about tomorrow's game and what time they would have to leave in the morning. The young man listened to the discussion and then suggested, "Nick, if Bill and Jillian don't want to leave as early as you have to tomorrow, I could swing by and pick them up a little later. That way they won't have to sit around the stadium for a couple of hours before the game."

Nick's mother leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You wouldn't mind, Greg?"

"It's not a problem. I'd be glad to be your chauffer to the game. You're lucky it's a home game though. I still don't know my way around the area for the away games. I have to rely on friends for that."

"Then if you're offering, Greg, I'm accepting. Bill can decide what he wants to do, but I'm going to wait around here for you in the morning."

"It's a date, Jillian," he said with a smile.

Nick's mother nodded and looked over at her husband, "Bill, let's go on in and let Nick say good-bye to Greg in private." She held her hand out to her son. "We'll need the door key, Nick."

Nick pulled his key ring from his pocket and handed it over to his mother. "I'll be in soon," he told his parents as they exited the car, thanking Greg for driving.

Greg and Nick watched them walk up the sidewalk and enter the house, before leaning into each other and letting their lips meet in the semi-darkness of the front seat.

"They like you, G," Nick said quietly against his mouth.

"I like them, Nicky," he responded, as he replaced his lips with his fingertips, tracing his boyfriend's lower lip.

Nick reached up to cover Greg's hand and slid his lips against the younger man's palm. "Thanks for offering to drive them tomorrow."

"Like I said before, I like them, Nicky," Greg smiled in the shadows of the car. "Your mom's a hoot."

Nick reached over and caught Greg's lips again, threading his fingers through the soft hair at the nape of Greg's neck. As he continued the conversation, he punctuated each small utterance with a kiss. "Tomorrow night. Moreno's. We'll take… them out."

* * *

Greg walked into his kitchen and set the white to-go box on the counter. He opened a kitchen drawer to pull out a fork and eased the box lid open with a smile. There nestled together in the enclosure sat two decadent, almost completely whole, desserts. He used the fork to separate a small bite of one of the two and raised it to his mouth remembering.

_Bill and Jillian declined their waitress' suggestion of dessert, ordering decaf. Greg declined dessert also, but asked for fully caffeinated coffee with a smile. However, Nick looked at his boyfriend strangely and in addition to his own cup of coffee, ordered two desserts, smiling at Greg knowingly._

_Nick's parents looked at him oddly, knowing that in the past he had usually bypassed any type of sweet treat. It was a well-known family fact, that whenever a birthday cake was cut Nick always asked for the smallest piece and then usually didn't completely finish it._

_When their waitress came back with the coffee and desserts, Nick smiled at Greg and said, "I wasn't sure which one you really wanted, G, so I ordered them both. You can take home the leftovers."_

_Greg looked down at the cheesecake drizzled with blueberry compote and the gourmet 'Smores' comprised of chocolate cream, graham cracker, and toasted marshmallow fluff and smiled at the dark-haired man. "I'm on to you, Nicky."_

_Nick looked at him questioningly and asked, "What do you mean, Greg? I know you like your dessert, and probably didn't order one because my folks passed on having any, so..."_

_Greg looked at Nick and said, "I've talked to Catherine about your need to wine and dine me every time we go out, and she told me about a conversation you two had the day we met. Do you remember, Nicky?"_

_Nick paused for a moment and then smiled at the young man. "Yeah, I do, G."_

_Jillian and Bill sat quietly through the verbal exchange, but Jillian could hold her question in no longer. "Okay boys, don't keep us in suspense. _

_What was the gist of that conversation with Catherine?"_

_Nick gave Greg another lingering look and then turned to his parents. "Catherine told me the quickest way to a man's heart was through his stomach." He saw both sets of eyes widen in understanding. Nick was telling them that this thing he had going with Greg was the real thing in his eyes. He wanted Greg to love him. He may already be in love himself._

_Jillian felt her eyes tear up and reached over to take her husband's hand in her own. Bill turned to smile at his wife and nodded. "Your friend's right, Nick. Your mother had me the first time she baked me an apple pie."_

_

* * *

_

Jillian was waiting when Greg knocked on the door. She opened it saying, "Come in Greg, I'm almost ready to go."

He followed her into Nick's kitchen and had to smile at what he saw. Jillian had spent the two hours after her men folk had left cooking and baking up a storm. Nick would be lucky if he had any staples left in the cupboards or refrigerator, because if it could be incorporated into anything remotely freezable Jillian had probably used it.

"I just need to cover these up and put them away. I'll get reheating or baking instructions on them when I get back." She put several of the items into the freezer and the rest into the refrigerator. "I'll set these in the freezer when the other ones have had a chance to freeze solid, so I can stack them," she told Greg, as he helped transfer the items off the counter.

"You know Jillian, if this food tastes half as good as it smells, I may have to dump Nick and steal you away from Bill," he joked.

She turned and smiled at him. "You don't have to dump my son, Greg. I'll cook for you anytime." Nick's mom bustled around the kitchen, rinsing off the few utensils still sitting in the sink. She stopped and turned to look at Greg who was wiping off the counter. "What's your favorite cookie, sweetie?"

"Chocolate chip with black walnuts," he said licking his lips. "My Nana Olaf would always make them for me to take in my lunch."

Jillian nodded her head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stop at a grocery store on the way back after the game. I have a few other things I want to mix up for Nick and I thought I'd bake you up a batch of cookies while I'm at it. I figured you boys will be watching football tomorrow and I want to stay busy."

"Ya know, Jillian. Our friend, Warrick, usually stops by to watch football on Sunday's too. Maybe you better make a double batch of those cookies." He grinned at her and helped her on with her jacket. "And maybe some brownies with peanut butter chips, too."

* * *

The foursome entered the restaurant and settled at a table towards the back of the room, but before his daughter could bring their menus and water glasses, Lorenzo came hurrying out wiping his hands on his apron.

"Coach Nick and Greg, so good of you to visit us again. Congratulations on the game today, Nicholas. Those boys will take you far this season. I have already told my employees, 'If the boys go to state I am closing down and going too.'"

Nick grinned at the owner, "If you close up on me, Lorenzo, where am I gonna eat after the game?"

The owner just threw his hands up in the air. "Here, Nicholas, here. I'll open the restaurant for you and all the boys. Everything will be on the house for my favorite coach." He looked over at Greg. "But you must bring that one. He's too skinny. I'm putting back a tiramisu for you," he said pointing at the young man.

"Make that two desserts," said Jillian, smiling at Lorenzo.

He looked at Nick's mother and cocked his head at Nick. "Who is this beautiful woman you have brought to my restaurant, Nicholas?"

After introducing Lorenzo to his parents, the four put in their orders and settled back to wait for their food. Talk drifted to Nick's siblings, their spouses and their numerous offspring. Greg remembered all the photographs lining Nick's entertainment center and made mental note to ask his boyfriend to help him put names to faces at a later time. He leaned back slightly and watched the verbal interaction between Nick and his parents.

"Greg?" He suddenly realized that Jillian was talking to him.

"Sorry Jillian, I was spacing out. What were you saying?" Greg felt a little embarrassed by the lapse in his attention.

Nick's mother smiled. "Not a problem, Greg. It has to be a little boring to be listening to a conversation and not knowing any of the people being discussed. I was just asking about your family, dear."

The young man smiled. "That conversation won't take any time at all. I'm an only child. My parents still live in San Francisco. Mom is a homemaker and Dad is in research. I guess I get my love of chemistry from him. My mother's parents, Nana and Papa Olaf, have lived with them since I was a child. Both my parents were only children, so whenever we all sit down to dinner together we have our own little family reunion."

"And your father's parents, Greg?" Jillian asked.

Greg gave his head a small shake. "They passed when I was an infant. I think that's why dad asked Nana and Papa Olaf to move in with us. He wanted whatever family we had left to be together."

"Good man," interjected Nick's father. He turned to grin at his wife, "Not sure I could have lived with Jillian's folks in our house, though. Of course after a few years, there wouldn't have been any room for them, too many damn kids."

* * *

Nick lay in bed and tossed, trying to will his body into sleep. His mind was swirling with thoughts of the last couple of days. His parents had been so supportive and, even though he knew deep down his dad had some lingering doubts about Nick's sexual preferences, had treated Greg much the same way they treated all his sisters' husbands.

He remembered driving to the stadium on Saturday morning with his father. He had asked about the ranch and the horses, knowing that his dad would feel comfortable discussing that topic. Without having his mother around for a buffer, he hadn't been sure he wanted to bring up the subject of Greg. So he hadn't, but his father had.

"_So Nick, this thing with Greg, do you see it as being long-term?" his father asked hesitantly, looking out the side window._

_Nick looked over at his father and took a deep breath before returning his eyes to the road. "Yeah, I hope so, Dad. This isn't casual for me. Hell, this is the longest I've ever dated anyone." _

_Bill nodded at the statement. "You know your mother and I have always worried that you'd end up alone, Nick. The lifestyle you've chosen, maybe that's not the right word for it, but… What I mean to say is, we've talked and we like Greg. If this thing you have with him continues, we want you to know that we'd love it if you brought him back to the ranch to meet the rest of the family."_

_The younger man swallowed and felt his eyes begin to tear up. This was something he'd never thought to hear from his old man, his mother, yes, but not his proud Texan father. "Thank you, Dad. I'd like to bring Greg home with me over the holidays. We haven't talked about that yet and I don't know what his family expects from him, but just the fact that you offered means the world to me."_

_Nick's father nodded. "Whatever works out, son. There's always a seat for him at our table."_

_

* * *

_

After a Monday morning brunch and dropping Nick's parents off at the airport, Greg sat on Nick's couch and smiled. He could hear the other man puttering in the kitchen and muttering under his breath when he had to move several items in the refrigerator to pull out a couple of beers. "Don't know how I'm supposed to eat all this stuff before it spoils. Damn freezer is too full to throw it in there." Nick entered the living room and handed Greg a bottle, before sitting down beside him and pulling him close to his side.

"I could take some home and put it in my freezer, Nicky. It's pretty empty except for ice cubes, a container of ice cream and a couple of frozen pizzas," Greg offered, taking a sip of the beverage his boyfriend had handed him.

Nick rested his chin on Greg's head. "That would probably be good. Then we'd have some real food over at your place when I'm there." He grinned at the younger man's sound of displeasure. "Not that I'm complaining when you feed me, G, but I'm not much for all that processed stuff you call food."

Greg turned slightly and smiled at Nick. "Then we should just spend more time here. You have the better couch for snuggling on anyway." He leaned forward and settled his lips at the juncture of Nick's neck and shoulder. He opened his mouth to run his tongue along the sensitive skin just under the dark-haired man's jaw.

Nick groaned and took the beer bottle from Greg, setting it on the table beside his own. Taking his now free hand, he pulled the blonde's legs over his own knees and used his upper body to gently press Greg's back down onto the couch. He shifted until both their bodies were horizontal, their legs tangled and lips hovering inches apart. "Not answering any damn phones today," he muttered before claiming his prize.

Hands roamed and bodies strained as the two men each indulged in their need for the taste of the other man. Greg sighed as Nick moved his body a little lower to have better access to Greg's neck. The young man arched his body, granting permission for Nick to investigate every bare inch of skin available. Greg's hands continued to travel across the broad shoulders of his partner, up into his hair and back down again.

"Nicky," he murmured. "Nicky?" Not receiving a response from the other man, he gently twisted his fingers in the dark hair and gave a slight pull. Slowly Nick raised his head, his eyes filled with passion. "I know I said your couch was good for snuggling, but if I remember correctly your bed is really comfortable too. How about we move in there?"

Nick's eyes widened and he strained forward capturing Greg's lips in a heated and almost painful kiss, before shifting his body to lift it up off the couch while attempting to not lose contact with the man beneath him. One arm wrapped around Greg, the other giving leverage by pushing against the back of the couch, Nick soon had them both standing. With shuffling footsteps, he began to maneuver them towards the hallway leading to the bedroom.

As they entered the bedroom, both men tensed as they heard a phone begin to ring. Nick pulled his head back to look Greg in the eyes and smiled. "Not today," he chuckled, kicking the bedroom door shut as Greg laughed out loud.

* * *

.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Thought this was all done and ready to go, but after a review for my last chapter, I added an additional section at the beginning. Here's Jillian and Bill's thoughts on the weekend for Jordan16, who suggested their viewpoint.

Then, on to the previously planned chapter.

* * *

Jillian looked over at her husband as he shifted in his seat. He always had a hard time getting comfortable when flying and generally squirmed the entire flight. She put a hand on his knee and smiled at him when he turned to look at her. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Nick," he answered with a wry smile.

His wife took Bill's hand and gave it a squeeze. "He looked good, happier than I'd seen him in a long time."

Bill nodded and gave a sigh. "I talked to him Saturday on the way to the game." His wife sat patiently and waited for him to continue. "It was evident that Nick is hoping for his relationship with Greg to be long-term. I got the impression that he might want it to be permanent."

Jillian gazed into Bill's eyes and nodded her agreement with his assessment of the situation. "I got that same impression, honey." She reached over with her free hand to pat the hand she was holding. "I know you told me you like Greg, but how do you feel about him being with your son?"

"I can't lie, Jillian. I wish circumstances were different, but I love Nick and want him to be happy. If Greg makes him happy, then I can accept him as part of our family if it comes to that."

Nick's mother smiled at her husband and put her head on his shoulder. "I talked to Greg on the way to the game, too." She paused waiting to see if Bill was still interested in continuing their conversation. When he shifted to look down at her, she continued. "I didn't realize our son was such a romantic."

"How so?" the older Stokes man asked.

"Greg said one weekend when they went hiking, Nick packed him a chocolate-covered strawberry as a surprise, and he's left little presents sitting on Greg's desk at work. Definitely reminds me of when you were courting me, Bill." Jillian turned her head to give her husband a quick peck on the cheek.

Bill watched his wife and knowing her as well as he did could tell that she was holding something back. "What is it Jillian? What haven't you told me?"

"I'm not sure you want to hear it, honey. How much do you want to know about Nick and Greg's personal relationship?" she asked, giving her husband the opportunity to take back his query.

He looked at her and sighed. "I don't want the details of their sexual life, Jillian. And if Greg was discussing that with you, I might have to reevaluate my feelings about him."

Jillian raised her head and turned her body more fully toward her husband. "It's not like that, Bill. Greg wasn't filling me in on their sexual exploits, it was just the opposite. He admitted that they haven't crossed that boundary yet."

Nick's father stared at his wife. "I was under the impression they'd been seeing each other for awhile."

"Five weeks," she said with a smile.

"Not that I'd expect Nick to be sexually permissive, but at his age I wouldn't expect him to be a monk." Bill admitted. "Maybe he's not that interested…"

Jillian laughed at her husband's incredulous expression. "Honey, I think it means just the opposite." Bill looked at her questioningly.

"Back when Nick was in high school I had the 'talk' with him that I had with all our children." She rested her head back on her husband's shoulder. "I told all our children that I understood that they were not gong to be celibate until marriage, but that when they were lucky enough to meet someone that they thought might be 'the one', that they should take things slow and make sure it was not just all about sex." She tilted her head to look Bill in the eyes. "Nicky is taking it slow, Bill. He's leaving little presents for Greg. Our boy is in courting mode. Greg is 'the one' for Nick."

Bill settled back in his seat and rested his head on the headrest. "Well then, I guess it's a good thing I told Nick to bring Greg down to the ranch the next time he comes to visit. That boy needs to know what he's getting himself into by dating our son."

Jillian chuckled. "He'll fit right in, Bill. If he cares about Nick, everyone will treat him like a Stokes."

"Then God help him," Nick's father laughed.

* * *

The next three weeks seemed to fly by. Nick and Greg spent their weekdays at school and two nights a week, after Nick finished practice, the men would meet for supper, often at Nick's house. After the third night of coming home later than expected and finding Greg sitting on his porch, Nick had disappeared into his bedroom and returned with a single key on a leather keychain, handing it to Greg with a kiss.

Their weekends, with the exception of the football games, were spent together. Nick had emptied out a drawer in his dresser and had made space on the bathroom counter for Greg's necessities. In return, Greg showed up at Nick's house after work on Fridays and didn't leave to go back to his apartment until late on Sunday evenings.

The weekend of Halloween marked the final game of the regular football season for Nick's team. They remained undefeated, and during the long drive back from the away game, Greg was once again sitting in the back seat of Warrick's car. This time he was sharing the backseat with Wendy, who was leaning against Hodges. The five had made a day of it, starting early and eating brunch along the way. It was going to be early evening before they got home.

Catherine had decided that the whole group needed to go out later that evening to celebrate the final game and to, as Warrick called it, "watch the freaks dressed in their Halloween get-ups". Greg knew that Nick would be later getting to the club than everyone else. He had promised the players supper on the way home and the bus was stopping at a buffet, where Nick knew that the boys could eat their fill and not dent his credit card too deeply.

Greg was a little excited. Catherine had decided on the club they were going to visit, and while it was not technically a gay club, there would not be a problem with Nick and Greg dancing together. The two men had not been in a club since the evening in late August when Greg had had too much to drink and Nick had taken him back to his house. Greg couldn't wait to dance with Nick in public.

Warrick dropped Greg off at home with a promise of returning for him in 90 minutes. Greg hurried inside his apartment to grab a quick bite to eat and get changed. He pulled a casserole dish out of the refrigerator and scooped out a large serving onto a microwave safe plate. He smiled as he rewrapped the dish and place it back into the frig, pulling out a bottle of water. Nick had insisted on cooking one of his mother's frozen concoctions earlier that week when they had decided to spend the evening at Greg's playing video games.

Placing the plate in the microwave, Greg opened the bottle and took a drink, before snaking his hand into a plastic bag on the table and pulling out one of Jillian's cookies. The young man remembered how Nick's mother had wanted to know his favorite kind of cookie and had searched the grocery store for just the right kind of nuts. How had he gotten so lucky? Not only had he found 'the' perfect guy, the guy had 'the' perfect parents. And, beyond all belief, they liked Greg.

Greg quickly ate his heated dinner, before heading towards the bathroom for a quick shower. He was already mentally visualizing his closet and determining what he was going to wear for the evening. He smiled as he decided against some of the items he had stashed in the back of the closet. He wouldn't want Warrick classifying him as a freak tonight, even though it was Halloween.

* * *

Nick wandered around the club until he found the table where his friends were sitting. Well, at least one of his friends. Grissom was sitting there watching the dance floor with a goofy grin on his face. Nick followed his gaze and saw Greg and Sara dancing like fools, their arms in the air and their bodies bouncing like rubber balls. Even Nick, who was really not into the whole club scene, could tell that they were not on beat and were just being silly.

He smiled as he leaned down and caught the biology teacher's attention. "Looks like they're having fun," he said as he sat on a chair beside his coworker.

Grissom nodded. "Glad you're here. I think Greg was beginning to get worried. He kept checking his watch every couple of minutes while he at the table. I told Sara she should get him out on the dance floor, thought that might relax him."

Nick nodded at Gil's words. "Decided to go home and shower before coming here. I almost fell asleep standing under the spray." He shook his head, as if to clear the cobwebs. "It's been a long, emotional day."

Grissom nodded. "Congrats on your season, Nick, but now comes the rough part."

"Yeah," the younger man agreed. "One loss in the playoffs and a team is done. We could have one week more in our season, or we could have five. At this point it's all just speculation."

As the music changed, the two men turned their attention back to the dance floor and watched several couples approaching their table. Nick stood to see where everyone was sitting, before moving to claim the empty chair next to Greg. The blonde leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You smell good, Nicky."

When the waitress came around to take their order, Nick ordered a soft drink. Greg looked at him questioningly. "I'm just really tired, G. If I have a drink, I'm gonna fall asleep in my chair."

Greg smiled at him and changed his order to a soft drink also. "You don't have to do that, Greg," Nick reasoned.

The young man put a finger to Nick's lips. "Shh, Nicky. I want to be sober when I drive your tired ass home," he said with a grin.

As the music changed again, a slow seductive beat filled the air. Greg stood and reached out to pull Nick to his feet. The dark-haired man began to argue, but Greg just smiled. "All you have to do is stand there, Nicky. I'll do all the hard work. I've been dreaming of this all day."

Nick smiled at his lover and acquiesced. Standing on the dance floor wrapped in Greg wasn't going to be hard work at all, in fact it might help wake him up.

* * *

The first three weeks of the playoff season were stressful for Nick. It helped that he had Greg around to take his mind off of things outside of school hours. The younger man stopped by Nick's house almost every evening now, and had even spent a couple of nights during the middle of the week. Every win upped the ante for Nick and his team and emotions were running high at the school. Greg was his touchstone when things seemed to be spiraling out of control.

The week of the fourth playoff game coincided with Thanksgiving, and although neither man had planned to travel over the holiday, both had parents who were calling voicing their sadness at missing their child during the holiday weekend. Nick's parents handled it better, giving their son encouragement over the upcoming game. It helped that they had seen him six or seven weeks ago, but told him they would miss him and Greg at their table on Thanksgiving.

Greg's parents were a little more vocal over the situation, and had offered to pay for his airfare repeatedly. He had told them about his relationship with Nick and how he needed to be in Vegas for the upcoming football game, but since his family had not yet met Nick, they couldn't rationalize his decision to stay. In an effort to calm his parents, Greg had promised to be there for Christmas, knowing that he and Nick had not discussed that upcoming holiday yet. He hoped that his promise wouldn't lead to any heated discussions in the future.

Knowing they would be unable to visit their families over the long weekend, Catherine had invited both men to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. In fact she had invited several single teachers that were going to be alone that day. Nick and Greg showed their appreciation for the invite by bringing several pies from a local bakery. Of course at the end of the evening, Catherine had boxed up leftover pie for Greg, even though he had already eaten a piece of pumpkin and a piece of cherry over the course of the meal.

At the end of the day, Nick had driven them both back to his house without even asking if Greg wanted to go home, which of course he didn't.

* * *

Nick bent down to kiss Greg good-bye on Friday morning. He was on his way to the school to view films with the players and to supervise them in the weight room. He wasn't planning a full out practice today, but wanted them back in the correct mindset after a day of feasting and laziness.

Greg shifted and started to sit up in the bed, but Nick put a hand on his shoulder and pressed him back down on the bed. "Go back to sleep, G. I'm just going in early before the boys get there. I need to do lesson plans," he smiled at the beautiful man lying in his bed. "Stay right there. I want to imagine you just like this until I get back home."

Greg smiled. "What time do you think you'll be back and I'll have something ready to eat?"

"Not until around five probably, depends on how things go. Don't bother with food. Let's go out to eat and then see a movie. Something that will take my mind off the game." He bent down again to give Greg another kiss, before standing and moving away from the bed. "I better leave before I give in to temptation, G." He smiled at the young man and moved towards the bedroom door.

"I love you, Nicky." He heard softly behind him. Nick turned and gave a lingering look to the man in his bed.

"Love you too, G," he said, wondering how he had gotten so lucky.

* * *

Greg was on Nick's mind the entire drive to school. He kept remembering the phone calls from the young man's parents that had Greg close to tears on occasion. It would have been so much easier for him to have given in to his parent's wishes to fly to California for Thanksgiving, but Nick had been proud of Greg for sticking to his own wants and telling them no. The Texan wanted not to prejudge Greg's parents, especially his mother, but her recent behavior was causing him doubts.

Nick had tried to give his boyfriend space whenever the phone rang, especially when he realized that it was Greg's parents on the other end of the line, but during the last phone call Nick had happened to overhear Greg placate his mother by promising to go there for Christmas. Nick had been disappointed, but realized that it would be possible for them to visit both sets of parents during the two week holiday from work. He planned on talking to his parents about having a family dinner at the ranch sometime during the week after the holiday, maybe on New Year's Eve.

The phys ed teacher pulled his truck into the school parking lot, thinking he'd be the only one there, but was surprised to see a beat up Chevy occupying one of the student spaces. Nick recognized it as belonging to his team captain, Donovan Leahy.

Nick exited his truck and after checking to see that the Chevy was empty, walked towards the school doors. When he got closer he could see Donovan sitting on the steps, his elbows on his knees and his head hanging down.

"Hey Donovan, what's wrong buddy?" Nick asked, stopping in front of the student.

The boy raised his head and Nick could see that although he had been crying at some point, now his eyes were dry. Nick sat down beside his player and waited for a bit, before asking again, "What's wrong, Donovan?"

"I had a fight with my dad, Coach. I tried to talk to him about college. About how you said there were scouts from a couple of places asking about me and he freaked. Told me there was no way he would be footing any bills to some uppity white-collar university, when I could stay here and work in the family business without putting my family in the poor house." The senior hung his head, whispering the final words.

Nick felt his ire rise. Parents were supposed to be supportive. Even when his own parents had disagreed with his choices they had never talked like that to him. He took a deep breath, knowing he would have to choose his words carefully. This was Donovan's father they were talking about, no matter what he did or said, it was still his father.

"Donovan, I understand this is frustrating for you, and your father may never accept your decision to go to college, but he doesn't have the last say in your life. You'll be an adult soon and you can make your own choices as to your career. I'll talk to the recruiters and see if we can't work out a scholarship somewhere for you. Keep your head in the game and play your heart out, but most importantly stay focused on your schoolwork. If we can get you a scholarship, it will be contingent on keeping your grades up."

Nick patted the young man on the back as he nodded. "Okay coach." He raised his head and smiled. "Thanks."

Looking at his watch, Nick realized that the assistant coaches and other players would be arriving soon. He stood and looked down at his team's captain. "Let's get you in and cleaned up, Donovan. Don't want the others to see you looking like this, they might think you've lost confidence for tomorrow's game."

Donovan smiled, "No way, Coach. We're taking them tomorrow. I'm planning on stepping on that field next week and walking away with the title."

"Good boy," Nick smiled, unlocking the outer door and stepping inside.

* * *

The fourth game of the playoffs was another nail biter. They were into their second overtime, before Nick's players finally got the ball into the end zone for the win. Looking into the stands for what was now a tradition for him, Nick found Greg standing there smiling. Returning his smile, Nick noted that the college scout from a local university who was interested enough in Donovan Leahy to be receptive to the idea of a scholarship, was still beside Greg. Trust Greg to keep the man there until the very end. Nick was glad that he had decided to have the young man run the ball on the last play.

Nick felt hands tugging him into the fray on the field and he turned reluctantly away from the stands. He allowed himself to be patted on the back, hugged, and congratulated, until he was finally pulled off to the side to be interviewed by several local television stations.

* * *

The tenor of the school that first week in December was insane. Not only was everyone beginning to get Christmas fever, they were bouncing off the walls at the idea of their school playing for a state championship on Saturday. The teachers attempted to instruct the students, but for the most part it was a lost cause and they simply tried to keep everyone in check until the week was over.

Nick kept his practices light, not wanting any of his players to get hurt just prior to their last game, especially Donovan. The recruiter had called to talk to Nick on Sunday and had told him that he was willing to extend a full ride to the young man, pending any injuries. Nick was torn on how much to play his team captain the upcoming weekend, for fear he might get hurt, but knew that Donovan deserved to be on the field as much as possible due to his efforts over the entire season.

The young man had been ecstatic when Nick had told him the news and thanked his coach over and over. "You did it, Donovan," he had told him. "You put forth the effort and it showed. Congratulations."

* * *

Make sure that you all thank Jordan16 for the extra long chapter. lol ;0)

I haven't had a chance to respond to any reviews for the last couple of chapters. Life, sorry. I hope that you don't mind that I'm spending my typing time on this little epic and not responding to the reviews. I do appreciate them and eagerly check my email way too often. lol


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Before you read this, I want to apologize for the drunken lout and his homophobic mouth. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll finish this apology at the end of the chapter. ;0)

* * *

An inebriated, angry man parked in front of Nick's house scowling at well-kept yard. "Damn goody-goody teacher thinking he's better than everyone else." He sat in his car and thumped a fist on the steering wheel. "Telling my son that he'd be better off spending his time studying than helping his old man. Asshole."

He fumbled for the door handle and yanked the car door open, stumbling slightly as he stood. Grabbing the door and roof of the car for support, the man squinted up at Nick's house. "I'll teach that damn teacher a thing or two." He pushed off of the car, slamming the door as he strode toward Nick's front door.

Reaching the entryway, he knocked heavily on the wood before steadying himself on the jam of the door. As the door opened he struggled to stand up straight, trying to gain a height advantage on the person standing in front of him. "Can I help you?" a young man asked. The intoxicated man looked at the person standing in the doorway, realizing that it was not his son's coach and teacher.

Suddenly a man's voice came from within the house. "Greg honey, who's at the door." The irritated man's eyes widened as he saw Nick walk into his line of vision. Honey? The damn man was a queer!

"Mr. Leahy? It is Mr. Leahy, isn't it? Donovan's father?" Nick asked as he came closer to the doorway. "Is there something wrong with Donovan?"

The drunken man began to laugh hysterically. "You're a damn fag, Stokes. When I get done with you, you won't be telling anyone else's son not to mind their father. I'll make sure that everyone knows about you and your pretty boy here."

"Mr. Leahy…," Nick began, but he was cut off by an angry retort.

"Don't 'Mr. Leahy' me, you damn queer. I'll have your job. Just see if I don't." He turned and staggered down the sidewalk towards his car, cursing a blue streak as he went.

Greg reached out to put a hand on Nick's arm, his face creased in concern. "God Nick, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have opened your door."

A shell-shocked Nick turned towards Greg and slowly closed the door. "It's okay, G. I'm the one that called you honey before I saw who was standing there." He drew the young man into his arms and held him tight. "If he doesn't kill himself or someone else on the way to the stadium, there's going to be an ugly scene later. You might want to stay here today, G."

Greg shook his head and held onto Nick, as if his arms could protect his boyfriend from the upcoming storm of unpleasantness. "I'm coming Nick, and I'm coming with you right now. I'm not waiting for the beginning of the game. I'm not hiding from that reject from the shallow end of the DNA pool."

Nick sighed and smiled at the young man in his arms. "Then let's do this, G." He reached over to pick up his truck keys from the entryway table and opened the door. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll find a bar on the way to the stadium and drink himself into a blackout."

* * *

It would seem that Donovan's father had found a bar on the way to the football game. He stood there pointing a finger at Nick's chest, spewing filth and punctuating each phrase with a jab, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Damn faggot. Watching our boys in the locker room. Getting his kicks. Probably jerking off as they shower." He turned to the superintendent and principal who had observed the altercation and had moved forward to investigate. "You better fire his ass. Don't want any son of mine around this fag."

There was silence as everyone around looked at the two men and the administrators off to the side. Nick swallowed slowly and backed away from the inebriated man, looking over at Doc Robbins. He made a move to walk away from the group, when a hand settled on his arm. It was Donovan.

"No Coach. You ain't going anywhere, at least not alone."

Nick turned to look at the boy and saw resolution in his eyes. "We've known since early September." He gestured back to the rest of the team behind him. "One of the guys saw you at Sammy's." Nick nodded solemnly at the statement.

"We had a team meeting that week. All of us. Figured that something like this might happen. Never thought it would be my own dad though." He gave his father a withering look, and the older man seemed to shrink from his son's cold gaze. "We voted back then and came to a team decision. If you ain't coaching us, then we ain't playing." The rest of the team nodded in unison and stepped forward.

Donovan looked over to Superintendent Ecklie and Doc Robbins. "If you decide to pull Coach, then you might as well forfeit the game, unless you two are planning on suiting up." He gestured back behind him, "We care more about Coach, than any trophy that'll sit in your display case."

Ecklie watched as the entire crowd that had previously been encircling the group, moved to stand behind the football players, their eyes on him. He had to make a quick decision. "Stokes stays. Get yourselves out on the field, boys."

Donovan took a few steps closer to Superintendent Ecklie. "Coach doesn't just stay for the game, he stays here permanently." The administrator raised his chin and got ready to speak, but the young player stopped him. "You may be thinking that after this game, you'll quietly ask him to leave, but there won't be anything quiet about it, sir. We've all decided. We ain't opposed to having our faces plastered all over the national media, if need be. I wouldn't mind meeting Larry King if the opportunity arose."

Ecklie's face blanched at the thought of his school district becoming tabloid fodder. "If you're trying to blackmail me, son…."

"Not trying to blackmail anyone, sir. Just stating facts. If anyone of us had felt threatened in anyway, we wouldn't have made this choice. Coach deserves to have a personal life and still have a job." He stepped back and reached his hand out. Another player took it and then a sea of raised arms, hands clasped together could be seen, someone off to the side took a photograph. Ecklie turned to see several other people raise their cell phones to capture photos of the football player's physical sign of solidarity.

The administrator stood there trying not to look furious at losing control of the situation, when a referee walked over to Nick. "You guys playing or forfeiting, coach? You've got three minutes to get on the field."

Nick looked over at Superintendent Ecklie and saw him nod slowly. He turned to the players and jerked his thumb towards the field. "Let's go boys. Go get warmed up."

Nick watched his players move off and turned his head looking in the sea of people for Greg. He felt a hand on his back and swiveled to see the object of his search. The two men stood facing each other, hands down at their sides in an effort not to touch each other.

"Good luck, Nicky," Greg whispered to his lover.

Nick sighed deeply. "I've already gotten a win today, G." He smiled and nodded towards the field. "I've got to go."

Greg nodded in agreement. "Afterwards we'll all go to Lorenzo's." He pointed over to the right, smiling, "I had to hold him back when that man started in on you."

Nick looked over at the Italian, who's face was dark as a thundercloud, and grinned. He turned back to Greg and patted him on the chest as he backed away. "Love you, G."

"Love you too, Nicky. Go bring me back a trophy."

* * *

The scene at Moreno's was crazy. The place was packed with football players, cheerleaders and all their parents, with the exception of Donovan's father, of course. The assistant coaches were there with their families, as well as Nick and Greg's friends. Lorenzo had brought in all his kitchen and wait staff to provide food for the large group.

A tall trophy sat next to the register and there was an unending line of players having their picture taken with it, singly or in small groups. Nick was often asked to join a picture, and he always complied with the request. He knew that his job had been on the line that afternoon, and his boys had put themselves out there, jeopardizing their chance to play in the state finals for him. His heart especially went out to Donovan, who had been willing to put his chance at a full ride to the university at risk.

Nick looked around the crowded establishment, seeking a familiar blonde head and found Greg leaning against a back wall, his arms crossed and a smile on his face. He knew Greg had been watching him, because as soon as he made eye contact with the young man, the chemistry teacher had cocked his head and wiggled his eyebrows at Nick, causing the dark-haired man to laugh out loud.

Nick started across the room towards the wild-haired man, a grin forming on his face. He saw Greg's eyes widen at his advance. Nick was within six feet of his desire, when one of his players caught him by the arm and asked him to join him in a photo his mother wanted to take. He nodded to the boy and pivoted towards the end of the counter. He looked over his shoulder at Greg and mouthed, "Sorry." Greg just grinned back at him and gave him a little finger wave, before levering himself off the wall to go find Catherine, Warrick and the rest of their friends.

* * *

The final two weeks of school before Christmas break sped by much too quickly. Without football practice after school every night, Nick was able to spend more time than ever with Greg. Twice during the first week after the final football game, Nick had asked the young man to go Christmas shopping with him.

The first time they had gone, Nick had stood in the middle of the toy store trying to give Greg a verbal list of all his nieces and nephews and their ages. After visiting the Barbie aisle for the third time, Greg had taken the basket from Nick and set it down. He took his boyfriend's hand and walked to the register, picking up a small pad of paper with Sponge Bob on the cover and an ink pen decorated with feathers. He handed them to the clerk, pulling his wallet from his pocket.

"G, what are you doing?" asked Nick, turning to go back and pick up his shopping basket before someone else could take the selected toys.

Greg put a hand on his arm to stay him. "Don't go anywhere, Nick. We've got to get organized before we do this or we'll forget someone."

After purchasing the pen and paper, Greg led Nick to the food court and found an empty table. Pushing the older man down into a chair, he opened the pad and passed it to Nick along with the ink pen. "Okay, start with your brother's family. Each child gets their own page. Put down their name and age. I'll be right back."

Watching to see that Nick had begun the requested task, Greg walked over to the Starbuck's kiosk and purchased two cups of coffee. When he returned to the table Nick was setting the pen on the table and sitting back in his chair. Greg handed him a cup of coffee and sitting down, picked up the notebook. He began tearing out the pages. Nick watched him as he began shuffling the papers around on the table, stopping occasionally to take a drink from his own cup of coffee.

"What on earth are you doing, G?" he asked, confused by Greg's actions.

"Getting organized, Nick. How did you shop for this hoard last year without my help?" Greg answered shaking his head.

Nick merely shrugged and sighed. "It took me four trips to the toy store to get it all done."

Greg shook his head. "Not this year. Tonight we get the shopping done for the kids. We can go another time and do the adults." Nick nodded and allowed himself to be walked back to the toy store.

When they entered the store Greg handed Nick four pieces of paper and the ink pen. "Girls, ages 3-8," he said. When they arrived at the Barbie section Nick began selecting toys and as Greg put them in a basket, Nick wrote down each toy selection on the appropriate paper. When the first four pieces of paper were finished, Greg exchanged them for another stack. "Boys, ages 3-7."

Less than an hour later they had four full baskets, and all the pages Greg had removed from the notebook had appropriate presents written in clear block letters. As they set the baskets on the counter, Greg reached over to pick up some wrapping paper and tags from a rack to the left of the cash register and placed them alongside the selected toys.

Nick pulled out his credit card and waited patiently while the clerk rang up the gifts for his nieces and nephews. He stole a glance at Greg who was gently fingering the curl on a doll in a display case closer to the door. The dark-haired man smiled at the thoughtful look on the young man's face.

After the clerk finished her task and filled several shopping bags, Nick gathered up his purchases and strolled over to Greg. "Do you like that doll, G?" he asked jokingly.

Greg turned to look at Nick and smiled wistfully. "Just noticing the dark hair and eyes, Nicky. My first thought when I saw it was, 'that's what Nick's baby would look like'." He stared at his lover, noting the older man's reaction to his words. Greg saw his eyes widen and his nostrils flare slightly as his chest expanded in a deep breath. Nick stood still, frozen momentarily at Greg's honest reply.

The young man reached forward and gathered half of the bags from Nick's hands. "Let's get these to the car and grab some supper, Nicky. I'm starved." He placed his empty hand on Nick's lower back and helped propel him out of the store, into the stream of people walking through the mall.

Of course they weren't the only people at the mall, but the within the crowds they were anonymous, and Nick claimed Greg's free hand as they walked. After a short time, quietly Nick asked, "Do you ever think about having kids, Greg?"

"Yeah, I do," answered the other man just as quietly.

"Me, too," Nick said, squeezing the hand within his tightly. The two men wandered silently through the noisy mall, towards the exit closest to their parked car.

* * *

Sorry again for Donovan's father, but I wanted to bring Nick and Greg completely out of the closet at work. Not to worry, the jerk won't be making a repeat performance in any later chapters. :0)


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Greg snagged his suitcase from the revolving conveyor belt and turned to look at Nick. The dark-haired man stood there, his own suitcase in hand and carry-on over his shoulder. Greg could see the apprehension in Nick's eyes and gave him an understanding smile. "Four days, Nick. Just remember, even if it turns out to be complete torture, it's only going to be four days."

Nick still looked a little skittish, so Greg leaned in close, whispering words softly against the older man's ear. "We're talking eighty-nine hours, Nicky. And just so you know, I plan on having you in bed at least seven hours a night, so really you're down to only about sixty."

The Texan looked at Greg and smiled, shaking his head. "You can keep me in bed every hour of the day, G, but nothing's going to happen under your parent's roof. We've already had this discussion."

Greg just smiled at his lover and gave him a knowing smile. "If we don't inaugurate my parent's house, then we don't inaugurate your parent's house either. Nine days is a long time, Nicky. Just saying."

Nick leered at the young man. "I'm only ruling out our parent's houses, G. I didn't say anything about barns. The ranch has two." He started to walk away, but after a couple of steps turned to look at Greg who was standing there with his mouth hanging open. "And my dad has a sweet Caddy with leather seats…."

Greg's mother grabbed her son, barely giving Nick a second look. And that was okay with Nick; just watching her totally envelop Greg made him want to take a few steps back. Instead he held his ground and turned his eyes toward Greg's father holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you Mr. Sanders. Thanks for opening your home to me."

Nick's first impression of the man in person went against what his mind had envisioned. When Greg had mentioned that his father was a researcher, Nick had imagined a pale, lanky man with a receding hairline and thick glasses. The man standing in front of him was tall, perhaps a couple inches taller than Nick, with a thick upper chest. Nick wouldn't be surprised if he discovered that Jim Sanders lifted weights regularly. In fact, with his thick light brown hair and suntanned face, Greg's father looked more like an aging beach bum than a laboratory geek.

"We're glad to have you, Nick," the tall man replied shaking his hand. "Please call me Jim." Nick nodded and smiled.

Jim Sanders moved toward his wife and son, placing a hand on his wife's back. "Let the boy come up for air, Karoline."

Greg's mother slowly released her grip on her son and Greg stepped back moving to Nick's side. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet, Nick." He reached out for Nick's left hand and entwined their fingers. "Nick, Jim and Karoline, my parents."

Nick smiled at the man at his side. "Your dad and I already introduced ourselves, G." He held his hand out to Greg's mother. "Mrs. Sanders."

She looked him over and gave him a tight smile. "Nick, glad you could join us **for **Christmas." She turned back to Greg. "We really missed you at Thanksgiving, Greg."

"Don't start on him, Karoline," Greg's father said with a hint of tension in his voice.

The foursome stood there quietly for a few moments, before Greg asked, "Why didn't Nana and Papa Olaf come with you to pick us up?"

Jim smiled. "Ingrid decided she needed to make another batch of cookies before you got home, and Karl said something about needing to wrap a couple of presents." He turned and gestured toward the doorway. "How about we head out to the car?"

Karoline made a move to link her arm with Greg's, but caught herself when she noticed that the two men were still holding hands and that Greg was making no move to let go of Nick. She flicked a hard look at her son's friend before turning to walk towards the doors.

Greg leaned in close to Nick and whispered. "Only four days, Nicky, then we're outta here."

Nick officially loved Greg's Nana and Papa Olaf. Being the youngest of such a large family, his own grandparents had passed when he was little. Greg had informed him on the ride to the house, that his grandparents only spoke their native language, but generally could understand anything that was said in English, if they chose to acknowledge it.

When Greg introduced them, Nana crooked her finger at him gesturing for him to bend down, bringing his face closer to her diminutive frame. She placed her hands on Nick's cheeks and looked into his eyes deeply. Nick was beginning to feel uncomfortable when she released his face and nodded. Turning to Greg, Nana Olaf smiled. "Han er den," she said nodding to her grandson. At that Greg's mother turned and stomped out of the room.

Before Nick could ask what had just happened, Papa Olaf grinned and grabbed him, much like his daughter had grabbed Greg at the airport. "Nicky, det er vidunderlig at du er her," he said patting his back.

The Texan looked at Greg, and the young man smiled. "He says, it's wonderful you are here." Nick looked back to Papa Olaf and told him thank you.

Greg's mother came back into the room, a fake smile on her face. "Let's get you boys settled," she said moving towards the staircase leading to the upper floor.

Her son stopped her forward movement. "I know where to go, mom. Why don't you help Nana in the kitchen?" he suggested, knowing where this discussion was headed and trying to diffuse it before it escalated.

Karoline raised her chin slightly. "I want to show Nick the guest room, Greg. A good hostess escorts her guest to their room." She made to move past her son, but Greg stopped her again.

"Nick won't need the guest room, Mom. He's staying in my room and I can show him how to get there." Greg spoke quietly, but with confidence.

"Greg, I can…," Nick was interpreted by a hand on his chest. He could see the almost imperceptible shake of his lover's head. He suddenly understood that this was something Greg had to do. He needed to establish his independence as an adult within his parent's house. Nick was proud of him and felt a little sorry for his mother.

After a few moments Jim cleared his throat. "Karoline, why don't you go help your mother finish up the preparations for dinner? I'm sure after the boys get settled in they'd enjoy one of your home cooked meals." He watched as his wife stiffened her back and turned towards the kitchen.

As she began to walk away, she called back over her shoulder. "There are extra towels in the guest room, Greg."

Greg looked at his father and mouthed the words, 'Thank you', before reaching to pick up his bags and heading for the staircase, Nick following behind.

Upon reaching their room, Nick dropped his bags on the floor and enclosed Greg in his arms, rubbing circles on the young man's back with his fingertips. The blonde rested his forehead on the shoulder of his boyfriend with a deep sigh.

After a few minutes, Nick could feel Greg slowly relax, as his own arms encircled the waist of the older man. "Thanks, Nicky."

"Anytime, G. I'm here for you, honey." He turned his head slightly to press a soft kiss on the exposed skin of young man's neck. "By the way, what was it your Nana said down there?"

Greg gave a chuckle and turned his head to capture Nick's lips in a gentle kiss, stroking the Texan's bottom lip with his tongue. "Remember when your parents visited and I told Jillian that my Nana Olaf was psychic?" Nick nodded. "Well, she must have had a look into your future when she touched you."

Nick pulled his head back to look in Greg's eyes. "What did she say, G?"

The young man grinned at Nick and wiggled his eyebrows. "Nana said, 'He's the one'."

Nick smiled and swooped forward to catch Greg's lips in a quick, but possessive kiss. "I guess I must be psychic, too," he said, "because I already knew that."

When Nick and Greg came downstairs for dinner that evening, Karoline was quiet, but polite. Nick wasn't sure what had altered her confrontational stance, but surmised that Jim was the one to thank.

"Where's Einstein?" Greg asked his father as they entered the dining room.

Jim smiled. "He's outside until after dinner. We knew he'd be all over you the moment he saw you, and we wanted you to have a chance to eat your meal before unleashing him on you."

Greg smiled and looked over at Nick. "Einstein's my dog. I decided to leave him here until I found a place in Vegas that accepted pets."

Karoline spoke in a quiet voice. "He misses you, honey."

"I know. I miss him, too," he said softly.

Nick knew that Greg and his mother were not only talking about Einstein, they were talking about their own relationship and he felt a lump rise in his throat.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nick turned to Karoline and asked, "Greg has mentioned that you celebrate Christmas by following Norwegian traditions, Karoline. Would you fill me in a little on what that entails?"

Greg's mother turned to look at him, pausing before answering. She nodded. "Since tomorrow is the twenty-third, we will go and get our tree, and tomorrow evening we will decorate it and put our gifts underneath. When Greg was little we would put up a stocking for him."

Greg looked at his mother and shook a finger at her. "When I was little? I had a stocking last year, and there better be one this year. In fact, I brought one to hang for Nick, too."

Nick turned to look at the young man and smiled, "You brought me a Christmas stocking, G?"

"Of course I did, Nicky. It's a family tradition." The young blonde shrugged and smiled.

Karoline watched the two men silently until Nick turned back to her smiling. "Okay, so tomorrow revolves around the tree. What about the following day?"

"In the morning the children," she looked over at Greg and smiled, "open a small present and their stockings, and then we usually go to church. One of the local churches here does an early morning service on Christmas Eve. We'll have a light lunch, with snacking going on all day."

Greg jumped into the conversation. "Traditionally there has to be at least seven different kinds of goodies out for snacking." He turned to his mother. "Mom, can we put out some fruit this year also?"

She nodded looking at her son, but Jim latched onto the comment immediately. "When did you start asking for fruit, instead of processed sugar, Greg?"

"Oh it's not for me. Nicky's the health nut. He probably won't eat more than a couple of cookies." He looked over at Nick and smiled. "Apples and bananas would be good if we've got them."

Karoline nodded and then continued on with the conversation. "We'll eat our dinner about six o'clock. Later that evening we'll open gifts…"

"And enjoy more cookies," Greg added with a smile.

Nick looked at Greg and shook his head, "Like you need an excuse to eat more sugar, G."

The next day Greg woke up feeling overly warm, finding himself ensconced between Nick and Einstein. The double bed had been snug when it was just he and Nick sharing it last night, but the addition of a golden Labrador had made his space even smaller. It was definitely good that Nick liked to spoon in bed.

Greg had to get up to use the bathroom, but wasn't sure how to go about disentangling himself from his nest. With a smile he decided it would be easier to move Nick, than Einstein. Biting back a huge grin, he pushed back into Nick and started to rotate his hips.

He knew the instant Nick woke up. The arm that was draped across his waist tightened, fingers splaying across Greg's chest, and Nick's lips latched onto his neck. Greg arched his neck, allowing the man behind him better access. "Good morning, Nicky," he murmured.

Nick growled an answer and raised a leg, looping it over Greg's body and with the help of his arm, pulled the young man underneath him, capturing his mouth. Greg moaned as Nick settled himself fully on the younger man.

Suddenly a louder growl filled the bedroom and Nick raised his head in alarm. Greg began to laugh as he realized that Einstein was taking exception to Nick lying on top of his master. Then, as he remembered his mother urging him to take Einstein up to his room the night before, his laughter became so loud it caused Nick and his dog to stop their staring match with each other to in turn stare at the man who was laughing so hard he was crying.

After eating breakfast with Greg's family, Nick and Greg went for a drive. The dark-haired man wanted to pick up a couple of small gifts for Greg's family. He picked up a silver frame for Nana Olaf and a book full of color photographs of Norway for Papa Olaf. Then, upon Greg's recommendation, Nick picked up an expensive bottle of bourbon for Greg's father, but he was unsure what to pick up for Karoline.

He was still struggling for a gift idea, when Greg suddenly looked at his watch. "Shit, we're late, Nicky. Papa Olaf and Dad will be waiting on us."

The two men hurried back out to Jim's car and headed towards Greg's family home, Karoline's unpurchased gift forgotten in the rush to pick up Greg's older male relatives for the trip to select a Christmas tree. Nana Olaf and Karoline had decided to remain at home, continuing with the preparation for the upcoming holiday meals, relying on the men folk to bring home the perfect Norwegian spruce.

As Nick watched Greg and Papa Olaf wander about discussing the various trees in Papa's native language, he walked slower with Greg's father. He needed to ask the older man a question, but was unsure how to approach him. He cleared his throat a couple of times, but the words would not come.

Suddenly Jim stopped and touched his shoulder. "Out with it, Nick. What's on your mind?" Nick looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. Jim smiled. "Go ahead and ask. Whatever it is, it'll just be between us."

Nick nodded, biting his lower lip. "Why doesn't Karoline like me, Jim? Is it the whole gay thing, or does she think I'm not good enough for Greg…." He faltered.

Jim shook his head. "It's not that she doesn't like you, Nick. I think she thought Greg would be lonely in Las Vegas and would run back here to us, but the fact that he's found you scares her. She sees **you **as the reason he's not here. I know that's silly, but…"

"It's not silly, Jim. I can understand that completely." He turned to smile at Greg and his grandfather who were both gesturing wildly with their hands as they compared two trees. "I'm glad I'm here. Thanks for allowing me to come to your home with your son."

Jim turned to watch the antics of the two men also. "Maybe we better go referee," he said, patting Nick on the back and moving towards his family.

Nick sat on one end of the couch with Greg snuggled up beside him. He rested his head on Greg's and smiled. The last thirty hours had seemed to fly by. Yesterday after helping Greg carry in the tree, he had helped bring down dozens of boxes of decorations from Jim and Karoline's attic. And after eating dinner, he had offered to help Nana Olaf with the dishes while Karoline sorted the boxes with Greg's help. Papa Olaf and Jim had settled in front of the television, where both men ended up catching a quick nap prior to the tree decorating festivities.

The tree decorating had been fun to watch. Nick had sat back for the most part, unless he was specifically asked by someone to help. He hadn't wanted to intrude on Karoline's traditions and watched as Greg's family puttered around the room. When it had come time to put up Greg's Christmas stocking, the young man had run up the stairs and come back down with a beautiful stocking with Nick's name embroidered across the top.

With a grin he had placed the stocking beside his and had crossed the room to give Nick a kiss. Nana Olaf had clapped her hands at his actions with a huge smile.

The following morning the two men had walked downstairs to see the tree lit up and the stockings filled. Nick smiled remembering how Greg had grinned at seeing his stocking filled with packaged cookies and sweets, and Nick's full of fruit and granola bars.

As they had finished their breakfasts, Nana and Papa Olaf had handed Nick and Greg each a small wrapped gift. Greg had torn the paper off of his to find a tee-shirt sporting the words - _Chemists do it in the lab_. The young man had pulled it on over his button-down shirt, before jumping up to kiss his grandparents. Nick had heard Karoline informing Greg that he couldn't wear the tee-shirt to church later.

When he had opened his own gift, Nick had found a thick book entitled _Into the Ice - The history of Norway and the Polar Regions_. The gift had caused Nick to tear up and he had embraced both of Greg's grandparents in thanks.

After church the four younger family members had spent the day eating, talking, playing cards and watching Christmas videos, while Papa Olaf napped and Nana Olaf knitted.

Now Nick sat on the couch, content with Greg pressed along his side and Einstein lying across his toes on the floor. He looked up as Greg's parents and grandparents entered the room and smiled. They had been conspicuously absent for the last hour, probably giving the two younger men some alone time.

Upon seeing his family, Greg sat up and asked excitedly, "Is it time to open the presents?" Karoline laughed at her son and smiled, nodding her head.

Greg jumped up off the sofa and began passing out the gifts from under the tree. When all the presents were handed to their recipients, they took turns opening the gifts. Nick enjoyed watching Greg open the gifts from his family, and himself received a beautiful jacket from Greg's parents. After all the gifts were opened Nick stood and walked over to Karoline and knelt before her. She looked at him suspiciously, glancing over to Greg who merely shook his head.

"Karoline, I couldn't wrap your gift," he began, "because it's a promise." She looked at him questioningly. "I'm going to promise you that as long as Greg and I are together, I'll always make sure that he gets back here to visit as often as possible. And if I'm welcome, I'd like to plan our next visit for March during our Spring break."

Karoline's eyes began to glisten and she brought a hand up, touching her fingertips to her lips. "Thank you, Nick," she whispered.

He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "Merry Christmas, Karoline."

It was Christmas morning, and once again Greg was sandwiched between his dog and Nick. Today, the young man thought to himself, the dog goes first. He reached out to pat Einstein's head and was glad to see the animal wake up and quietly thump his tail. Greg carefully managed to remove himself from Nick's encircling limbs and climbed off the bed taking the dog with him.

He managed to get Einstein out into the hallway without incident, whispering to the animal, "Go find Nana Olaf to let you out. She's probably in the kitchen." Greg quietly closed the door and moved to the attached bathroom, hoping to not wake Nick.

Upon exiting the bathroom, he moved back onto the bed and snuggled up to the dark-haired Texan with a sigh of contentment as strong arms pulled him close. He allowed himself to doze off again, wrapped in a cocoon of warmth.

The next time Greg awoke he was alone, but, upon listening, could hear Nick in the bathroom. He smiled and stretched, noticing the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was late, but his parent's wouldn't be knocking on their door complaining about breakfast getting cold for awhile yet. Greg scrambled for his suitcase and pulling out a brightly wrapped gift, set it on the side of the bed on which Nick had been sleeping.

He gathered up the clothes he was going to wear for the day and made a pile of anything that was currently dirty, deciding to throw a load of their clothing in before repacking for the trip to Dallas on the following day.

Greg heard the bathroom door open and turned to smile at Nick. "Merry Christmas, Nicky," he grinned, moving toward the other man. He gave Nick a quick kiss and pulled back. "Let me brush my teeth and then I'll give you a proper good-morning kiss."

Grabbing him close, Nick growled in his ear. "Don't take too long." Greg giggled and pulled away, moving into the bathroom. Nick could hear the water running, as he turned to get dressed. As he turned toward the bed, he saw the gift lying on the white sheets.

He smiled as he crossed to his own suitcase and pulled a similarly wrapped box and placed it next to the first, before pulling on his jeans and zipping them up.

Nick heard Greg walk up behind him and felt his arms encircle his waist from behind. He felt the young man's slightly scratchy cheek rub against his back. "How was that? Was I too long?" Greg asked.

Nick loosened the arms holding him and turned, capturing Greg's lips with his own. "G, anytime without you in my arms is too long."

I used a Norwegian translation site. Don't speak it myself. lol


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg fingered the heavy metal links encircling his wrist, the white metal gleaming in the sun coming through the airplane's window. He loved the weight and feel of the chain against his skin. Except for the cool temperature, it almost felt as if Nick was encircling his wrist with his fingers.

The wild-haired man remembered sitting on the double bed with his lover the morning before and opening their gifts to each other.

"_G, anytime without you in my arms is too long." Nick held Greg tightly and gently kissed him. Easing his grip on the young man, he raised a hand to Greg's face, brushing the emerging stubble. _

_Greg placed a kiss in the palm caressing his face and sighed. "Someone's going to come knocking on our door any minute. We normally would have started Christmas breakfast fifteen minutes ago."_

_Nick reluctantly loosened his grip on Greg's waist and gently pulled him over to the bed. "Then we better get our gifts exchanged before we have to leave the room, G."_

_Glancing down at the bed, Greg smiled. He saw a second box sitting beside his contribution and turned to kiss his boyfriend again, before Nick pulled him down. Greg scrambled to the middle of the bed, crossing his legs and extending his hands. "Gimmee."_

_Nick picked up the small box and handed it to his lover, watching as he carefully opened the paper, trying not to tear it. The dark-haired man smiled, he'd imagined Greg tearing open the paper without regard to its preservation, not being as careful as a surgeon with its removal._

_Once the paper was gone, Greg opened the black box that had been hidden inside. There, nestled in the interior, was a heavy chain in white metal. Greg picked up the piece of jewelry and looked at Nick with a grin. "It's beautiful, Nicky."_

"_I'm glad you like it. I hope that you'll think of me every time you wear it, G."_

_Greg leaned forward to kiss the man sitting across from him. "I don't need a chain to remind me of you, you're all I think about anyway." He held out the metal links and his wrist. "Will you put it on me, Nicky?"_

_Nick opened the clasp and then secured it around Greg's wrist, before raising the wrist to his mouth and kissing the exposed skin. Greg wiggled happily in the middle of the bed. He stretched forward to pick up the remaining box and handed it to Nick. "Hope you like this, Nicky. I can't take it back."_

_Nick paused, turning the box over in his hands. He knew that the wait was driving Greg crazy and he relished the excitement that his behavior was causing his lover. "Open it, please." Nick smiled and began to slowly peel back the paper, chuckling when Greg reached out to rip off the remaining wrapping. "Open it, Nicky."_

_Nick opened the box and saw a silver watch inside. He picked it up and ran a thumb over the face. "It's beautiful, G. Thank you." He felt the bed bouncing and looked up at Greg, who was having a hard time sitting still._

"_Turn it over, Nick. Look at the back." Greg's eyes were shining with anticipation._

_Slowly Nick turned over the watch to see an inscription etched in the back. He raised the watch closer and squinted. Looking at Greg he grimaced. "Sorry to ruin your big moment, G, but I can't read this without my glasses. Will you read it for me?"_

_Greg looked him in the eyes and said, "Nevada 4A High School Football Champions 2009. Of course some of it is abbreviated, but…." He got no further, as Nick's lips caught his and the forward movement of the Texan took them both to a horizontal position on the bed. _

_They enjoyed the closeness for a few moments, before a knock was heard on the door. "Greg? Nick? Uh, breakfast is ready. Are you two coming down?"_

_Greg raised his head and sighed. "Coming, Dad." He pushed slightly on Nick's shoulders, as he wiggled to regain a seated position. "Come on, hot stuff. If we don't get down there right away my mom will think you're taking advantage of me up here."_

_Nick sat up abruptly, pulling Greg behind him as he stood and moved toward the door. Greg just giggled. "Another couple of minutes any you probably would have been."_

_

* * *

_

Bill and Jillian were standing at the gate when Greg and Nick approached with their bags. Nick's mother gave them each a hug and Bill shook their hands. "How was the flight, boys?" he asked as the group started toward the outer doors.

"Smooth," Nick replied, hitching his carry on bag a little higher on his shoulder.

"Did you have a nice visit with your family, Greg," Jillian asked, taking his free hand in one of hers.

"Yeah, it was a little rocky at first, but everything evened out. My grandparents fell in love with Nicky."

As they exited the terminal, Nick noticed the temperature of the air. "It sure is warm today. Not your average late December weather."

Jillian smiled, "Isn't it beautiful? I think we'll be able to eat outside tomorrow. Can't say that too often this time of year."

Bill pointed over to the right. "I parked the Caddy in Lot B," he said to no one in particular.

"A caddy, huh?" Greg responded. "Did you spring for the leather seats, Bill?" He smirked at the jerk of Nick's head as he turned towards the younger man.

"Of course, I did, Greg. No self respecting man buys a caddy without leather seats." Bill replied matter-of-factly.

Greg just smiled at Nick as they continued walking. "I do love a car with leather seats, Bill." He looked at Nick's mother and grinned. "How about you, Jillian, do you like leather seats?"

Nick groaned at the conversation and moved forward to wrap his arm around his mother and steer her away from Greg's teasing banter. Jillian looked up at her son and smiled, whispering, "I'll make sure to leave an extra set of keys on your bedside table, honey."

* * *

Greg tried hard to remember which name went with each sister. Nick's brother and sister-in-law were easy, because Bill Jr. looked just like Greg imagined Nick would in ten or twelve years. His wife was the only red-head on the property, so that was a no-brainer.

But the rest of them caused Greg's brain to turn to a liquefied mass. He'd memorized which names went together and could recite them without pause, but trying to put the names to the faces in this mass of confusion made his head hurt.

All fifteen of the grandchildren, male and female, sported dark hair and chocolate-colored eyes. And the brothers-in-law, while attractive, all appeared generic in contrast to the Stokes daughters. The five dark-haired beauties ranged in age from thirty to thirty-eight, and all sported long hair and the dark eyes of their father.

Greg sat off to the sidelines on the porch and tried to appear calm as he picked at the label of his beer bottle. Nick was out on the lawn tossing a football to a couple of the older boys and Jillian, his closest ally at this point, was in the kitchen with one of her daughters completing preparations for the upcoming meal.

"Have you figured anyone out yet?" Greg looked up to see one of the generic brother-in-laws talking to him and smiled.

"Other than Bill and Jillian, the only ones I can be sure of are Bill Jr. and his wife," Greg said truthfully. "Can you help me out here?"

The other man laughed. "Sure. Let's just worry about the girls and their husbands today. The kids will all change so much before your next visit, that you'd have to start all over again anyway."

Greg smiled in agreement. "I know Ann and Tom go together, but which two are they," he asked looking out at the group under the tree by the picnic tables.

When there was no response from the man next to him, Greg turned to find him smiling, his hand outstretched. "Nice to meet you, Greg. I'm Tom."

* * *

Greg snuggled into Nick's arms and rested his head on a muscled shoulder with a sigh. The two men were finally alone for the first time since they walked out of their bedroom that morning. Nick had grabbed Greg's hand and quietly pulled him down a back hallway into what must have been Judge Stokes' den. "You've been quiet tonight, G. Do you have a headache or something?"

"Not really. I guess overwhelmed is the term I would use," he answered, tracing circles on Nick's back with his fingertips. "I talked to Tom quite a bit earlier, I like him."

"He likes you, too. He suggested the four of us get together tomorrow night and go out for dinner. Are you interested?" Nick asked, threading his fingers in Greg's soft hair.

Greg smiled. "That sounds good, Nicky." He tightened his grip on the Texan. "How much longer do you think we can hide out in here."

Nick chuckled. "Mama saw us sneak down the hallway. She's probably standing guard. I'd say we've got a few more minutes before someone gets past her."

"God, I love your mother, Nicky." Greg murmured against Nick's neck, before he turned his head and claimed the older man's lips in a kiss.

* * *

The next evening Nick parked Bill's caddy in Tom and Ann's driveway and the two men exited the vehicle. "Nice neighborhood," Greg remarked looking up and down the tree lined street.

"Yeah, they've been here ever since Ann got pregnant with their first daughter." Nick rang the doorbell and smiled at Greg. "Tom would like a boy, but Ann says that three children are enough. Told him he'd better be happy with what he's got, because she was shutting down her baby factory."

"She actually said that?" Greg grinned.

Nick nodded. "I heard it with my own ears. Ann can be pretty blunt at times, but you always know where you stand with her. I like that. She was the first family member I talked to about being gay. Told me it didn't matter to her which team I batted for, as long as I stayed in the game."

Greg laughed at his words. He hadn't had much time to talk to Ann yesterday, but he had a feeling they would get along just fine.

Suddenly the door opened and a dark-haired preteen stood there smiling. "Hey Uncle Nicky, come on in. Hi, Greg."

"Hey Tabby, what's up?" Nick asked, ruffling her silky page-boy hair cut.

The young girl squirmed away from her uncle's hand and briefly stuck out her tongue. "Kimmy's running a fever. Dad's upstairs with her, Mom's in the kitchen."

Nick's brow furrowed slightly. "Thanks, honey. Is it okay if we go on in to the kitchen and talk to your mom?"

"Oh yeah, Uncle Nicky, go right on back. She told me to send you both in when you got here." Tabby closed the door and turned to run up the stairs to the upper level.

Nick led the way through the comfortable living area into a large, open kitchen, where Ann was stirring something on the stove. "Hi guys. We have a slight change of plans tonight. I hope that's okay?"

"Kimmy's not feeling well?" Nick asked, crossing to the stove. Greg paused at the doorway, his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans.

Ann shrugged. "It's just a fever, but I didn't want to run the risk of leaving the house in case it escalated into something more serious. So I'm making dinner here at home. I told Tabby and Ellie that they could order a pizza if they would entertain themselves upstairs for the evening. Are you okay with that, guys?" She turned to look at her brother, her gaze flickering over to Greg.

Greg smiled at Ann and nodded, looking at Nick for confirmation. "That's fine, Ann, but are you sure that it wouldn't be better if we left?" Nick asked, concerned about Kimmy.

"She'll probably fall asleep and wake up fine, Nick. Don't be a worrywart." She smiled at Greg. "When Tabby was born I couldn't even sleep at night worrying about her. Then when Ellie joined us, I relaxed a bit. Now with the third one, well let's just say that it takes a lot to stress me anymore." Ann turned back to the stove. "That's kind of the way it is with the Stokes family, Greg. By the third time you're around the tribe, nothing will faze you." She turned back to smile at his shocked face.

"I so didn't realize where you were headed with that conversation, Ann, but thank you," the newcomer said.

Nick walked up behind his sister and turning her body gave her a kiss on the cheek. "God, I love you, Annie."

"Right back at ya, little brother." Just then the doorbell rang. "That'll be the girls' pizza," Anne said, reaching for a hand towel.

"I've got it," Greg said, before moving back through the living room to the front door.

Ann watched him walk away and smiled at her brother. "Mom says he's the real deal for you, Nicky. Is that right?"

"I'm hoping this is forever, Annie. I've never felt happier," he admitted.

"Good it's about time, hun. You deserve someone to come home to every evening. Tom's the best thing that ever happened to me. Having someone to hold onto at night can be the best therapy in the world." She pulled the pan from the stove and turned off the burner. "Let's get the girls settled, and then I'll get our meal on the table." She handed her brother a roll of paper towels and opened the refrigerator to pull out a couple cans of soda.

* * *

"Nicky," Greg whined. "Please. You put the idea in my head."

Nick shook his head. "I don't think I can, Greg. I'm sorry."

"Come on, Nick. No one will ever know. Pull over, please," he pleaded.

"Greg, no. Not in my dad's car," said Nick remaining adamant.

Suddenly Nick heard a click as Greg unbuckled his seat belt. He stole a glance at the young man in the passenger seat who was shucking off his shoes. "Greg, what are you doing?"

Greg turned in the seat, kneeling with his hands on the headrest. "Well I'm going to take advantage of the leather seats, even if I have to do it alone." Nick watched gape mouthed as the lean man wiggled his way over the back of the seat, disappearing into the rear of the car.

Nick raised his voice slightly, "Greg, cut that out it's not funny. Stop teasing." He heard the sound of a zipper being lowered and raised a hand to readjust the rearview mirror so that he could see his lover in the backseat. "God, G," he gasped.

"Pull over, Nicky. Please…," Greg urged again, this time a little more breathlessly.

"Shit, give me a minute to find a spot, Greg," he begged, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

Nick saw a side road with a small patch of trees and some undergrowth and quickly pulled in; praying that he wouldn't scrape the paint on his dad's Caddy, but a final look in the rearview mirror pushed all thought of the paint job aside. Throwing the car into park, Nick jumped out and opened the rear door before crawling back inside.

* * *

The next morning Nick walked downstairs and found his mother alone in the kitchen mixing pancake batter. She turned to smile at him. "You came in late last night, honey."

"Sorry, Mama. Did we wake you?" Nick asked apologetically.

She shook her head. "No, you're father did that. Sometimes he snores like a freight train," she laughed. "Did you have a good time with Tom and Ann?"

"Yeah, we stayed in though. Kimmy had a bit of a temperature and Ann didn't want to leave her with a babysitter." He leaned down to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Ann's almost as good a cook as you."

Jillian smiled at her son. "Flattery will get you blueberry pancakes, Nick, instead of plain ones." She crossed to the refrigerator to pull out a carton of berries.

Nick pulled the keys for the Caddy from his pocket and went to place them on the wooden pegboard that had several other hooks containing keys for locks and ignitions belonging to the Stokes household. Jillian watched him with a grin.

"Did Greg enjoy the leather seats, Nick?" she asked with a giggle.

Blushing a bright shade of red, Nick looked at his mother and smiled, "Yeah, we both did."

* * *

.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

Okay, back to work. I woke up with a new plot bunny bouncing on my chest and had to sit down and type up a beginning scene for a new story. I made myself stop at a little over 1000 words to get back to this. So good news, although this story is racing towards its finale, there may be something waiting in the wings. LOL

* * *

"Come on, man, please don't ask it of me," Nick pleaded into his cell phone. He got out of his truck and reached into the back to grab his bags, holding his phone with his other hand. "It's our first New Year's Eve together, 'Rick, and we just got back into town an hour ago."

He juggled his luggage, keys and the phone, as he walked up to his porch, listening to the arguments and begging coming from his friend. "I can't promise anything until I check with Greg. After all the 'family time', we just really wanted a quiet evening together."

He dumped the larger bag on the wooden porch and unlocked his door, noticing how quiet the house seemed after all the noise over the past ten days. "Can you give me some time to even get into my house, 'Rick? I said I'll check with Greg and call you back." He paused listening to the other man. "Tell Cath I hope she feels better. Okay later, man."

Nick sighed and carried his bags into the bedroom, dropping them onto the bed with frustration, before walking to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drinking it, trying to calm his annoyance. Hell, a beer would be better, he thought with a wry grin.

His thoughts went to Greg. He'd just dropped the young man off at home 15 minutes ago and he already missed having him beside him. Greg had gotten out of the truck with the promise of coming over later, after completing a few necessary tasks that being gone for over a week entailed. Nick glanced around his own place, knowing that he should check his mail, answering machine and e-mail, before unpacking.

Before the call from Warrick, he'd planned on stopping at a grocery and liquor store to pick up a few items for tonight, but now it didn't appear as if the stops would be necessary. He knew it wasn't Cath's fault for getting ill, but of course it would have to be on New Year's Eve when she'd given Lindsey permission to have a huge party at her house.

He remembered Catherine talking about it the week of midterms. She'd decided that it would be easier to deal with a bunch of high school boys and girls invading her house, than to worry all night if Lindsey was out drinking with her peers. She'd already coerced Warrick into helping supervise, and Nick had evaded the invitation to chaperone by telling her he wasn't for sure when he and Greg were getting back.

Nick had to chuckle; evidently, Warrick wasn't above begging when the need arose. Catherine had roped him into helping her supervise the party and now that she was down for the count, the driver's ed teacher was alone in his supervisory duties and panicking.

The dark-haired man flipped open his cell phone to call Greg. He knew the young man would be disappointed, but that he'd volunteer to help out his friends. As he waited for Greg to answer, Nick tried to formulate a plan to salvage at least part of the coming evening.

* * *

It was 8:00 and Greg was waiting for Nick to pick him up. Greg had offered to drive to Catherine's, but since he lived closer to her than Nick did, it really did make more sense for Nick to do the driving. He'd initially been disappointed about the diversion their evening was taking, but there was no way he was going to deny Warrick and Catherine anything, as supportive as they had been with he and Nick's relationship.

Even though it was not going to be the romantic evening he'd had hopes for earlier in the day, Greg had taken extra care in getting ready for tonight. His hair, now more two-toned than blond due to Nick's quiet request two months earlier, had been styled to perfection and he was wearing the green shirt that Nick preferred over all the others in his wardrobe.

He'd settled for wearing a pair of tight, worn jeans that Nick liked, as opposed to the dress pants he'd first pulled from the closet. Already planning ahead, at some point when the two men were alone, to drop something he'd have to bend to pick up. Greg smiled looking down at his wrist. Of course the most important thing he had on tonight was the heavy piece of jewelry given to him on Christmas morning by his Texan. He smiled, unsure how the coming New Year could be any better than the current one.

* * *

Although the party was large, the fact that three men were patrolling the house the entire night kept the teenagers from doing too much harm to the furnishings or themselves. It helped that all the teachers were well liked by the partygoers, and that any admonishments were kept civil and private.

It was getting close to eleven and Greg took a few minutes to himself in a quiet corner. It had been a little difficult for him not to jump right in and party with the students as he listened to the music he liked being pumped from the speakers, especially when asked to dance by some of his female students. He remembered settling for a quick bump and grind against Nick in the kitchen as he grabbed a slice of pizza and cup of coffee.

"_G, not here," Nick whispered, as Greg pushed him against the counter, slipping one of his legs between the older man's and rotating his hips to the music blaring from the family room._

"_Dance with me, Nicky," he begged, slipping his arms around Nick's neck and attempting to lure him away from the counter. The dark-haired man allowed himself to be pulled away from his perch, but, placing his hands on Greg's hips, tried to put space between their bodies._

"_Later, Greg. Come on, man, one of those kids could come in here any second." Nick reached up to disengage the young man's hands from behind his neck, almost giving in upon seeing the pout on Greg's plump lower lip._

"_Promises, promises," Greg sighed as he gave Nick's chest a final pat and walked over to the kitchen island to pick up a slice of pizza. He tilted his head back to catch the string of cheese that was slipping down, when he felt the other man step up behind him and press his body into the island. _

_Nick's lips grazed the exposed neck displayed by Greg's attempt to keep the pizza from staining his shirt, and whispered, "I always keep my promises, G. I'll make it worth the wait, sweetheart."_

* * *

It was Greg's turn to patrol the upper floor and make sure that all the rooms remained empty, except for, of course, the one Catherine was occupying. He hoped that the medication she was taking was allowing her to sleep. Greg knew that during his shifts to the upper floor, Warrick was checking in on the blonde to be sure she didn't want for anything.

Warrick had told him upon changing shifts, that everything was quiet upstairs, so Greg settled himself on the stairs just past the halfway point, enabling him some privacy, but keeping him within listening range if something erupted downstairs. A look at his watch told him that it was closing in on midnight and, hopefully soon after, the party would begin to break up.

Greg closed his eyes and rested his head against the banister for a few moments as the music below was turned down to a low roar.

"Ten, nine, eight…." He heard the countdown begin and felt a pang of disappointment that he wasn't going to be able to welcome in the New Year with Nick.

"Seven, six, five…." Greg felt a vibration coming from the stairs and opened his eyes to see Nick racing up the stairs, two steps at a time.

"Four, three, two…." Nick dropped to sit beside Greg and pulled him into an embrace as the counting below dropped to one.

"I made it," Nick said, breathing a little quicker than normal from his sprint from the family room to the spot where Greg was sitting.

"Just in time." Greg smiled as he opened his mouth to the winded man. Downstairs wild cheers and noisemakers could be heard as the teenagers welcomed in the New Year. Suddenly Nick and Greg broke apart at the sound of Warrick's shout, "Hell Lindsey, not in front of me, please! Nick!"

Greg started to chortle and leaned into Nick's shoulder. "Are you going to go rescue him?"

"Naw, he's a big boy. Let him handle the kids for a few minutes alone. I'm kinda busy here, G."

Greg felt moist, warm breath against his ear and felt a sharp tug on his earlobe as Nick captured it between his teeth. The young man tilted his head allowing greater access and sighed. "How soon do you think it'll be before they all head home?" he asked, not sure if he wanted Nick to stop long enough to answer him.

The phys ed teacher gave Greg's neck one last kiss before raising his head to reply. "Warrick said he's turning off the stereo and closing down the kitchen in an hour. He's hoping they'll all get the message and leave soon after that." Greg sighed, as he leaned into Nick's body. "Whatever," he continued, "we're out of here at 1:30. I already told him that five hours was our limit."

Greg smiled. In two hours they could be back at his apartment, alone. It seemed like forever since they'd had any alone time, other than the short episode in Bill's caddy. He pulled away slightly and grinned at Nick. "I say you start hiding the food and beverages now, and I'll look for some totally 'wrong' music for the stereo. I bet we can clean the house out a hell of a lot sooner than Warrick."

Nick grinned in return. "Last one down the stairs has to tell Warrick we're leaving at 1:00." He jumped up and started sprinting down the stairs, as Greg watched him lovingly. He stood more slowly pondering the musical choices available to him. He'd already checked out Catherine's cd collection earlier in the evening. As he walked down the stairs he decided, Cher's Greatest Hits. What self respecting teenage boy wanted to dance to the gay man's queen of music? Hell, he'd clear the place out in thirty minutes, tops.

* * *

Nick awoke to the smell of coffee and smiled, Greg's special brew was creating an irresistible aroma. He realized that if he was smelling coffee, that Greg was probably gone from the bed, he glanced around quickly to be sure. Yeah, he was gone, but a feel of the sheets was evidence that he hadn't been gone long, as some residual warmth still remained.

He noticed something hanging from the ceiling fan and looked more closely realizing it was Greg's green shirt. Nick started to laugh remembering how last night, as he'd been tossing pizza boxes into a large trash bag he'd heard groans from Lindsey's friends as the music stopped_. "Hey Mr. Sanders, whassup?" came a lone voice, followed by agreeing murmurs._

_Warrick had walked into the kitchen about that time and looked at Nick questioningly, as the phys ed teacher tossed another pizza box into the bag with a grin. Suddenly the opening strains of _Believe _filled the air, answered by the disbelieving sounds of disapproving teenagers. "Gee Mr. Sanders, we thought you were cool." _

_Lindsey came stomping into the kitchen, her face thunderous. "'Rick, stop him. He's ruining my party. My friends are all going to leave if he keeps playing that stuff."_

_Warrick looked at Nick and saw him trying to control his grin. Suddenly realizing why the music change had happened, he shrugged his shoulders innocently, "Sorry Linds, but if I stop him he might leave and then we'd have to send everyone home anyway. Your mom said if Nick and Greg weren't here to help chaperone, your party was canceled."_

_Lindsey shot Nick a dirty look and stomped her foot again. "It's not fair."_

_As she turned to walk back out of the kitchen, Nick and Warrick heard Greg sing along with the cd._

_Do you believe in life after love?_

_I can feel something inside me say_

_I really don't think you're strong enough, no_

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no no_

_Warrick looked at Nick and shook his head. "He can't want out of here that bad, man. Those kids are going to be brutal to him at school on Monday."_

_Nick shook his head at his friend. "You didn't listen to me earlier this afternoon, 'Rick. Ten days with family. We wanted a quiet evening together, man. Do I have to spell it out for you?"_

_Warrick's eyes widened in realization. "Oh man, I'm sorry Nick. All I could think of this afternoon was how much I needed you two here tonight, I didn't think about you and Greg and…."_

"_No problem, 'Rick. But right now Greg's out there trying his best to clear this house so we can get back and salvage at least a part of our original plans for the night. How about helping him? He'd probably appreciate a duet on _If I Could Turn Back Time_."_

_Warrick's face blanched at the thought and Nick almost broke into laughter. "I'm just kidding, man. How about you go out there and start apologizing and telling them that Greg plans on singing along with the entire cd. That'll probably send them running out into the night."_

_Nick watched as Warrick left the kitchen to aid Greg with his 'clear the party' plan. He opened another garbage bag and began tossing opened bags of chips, while storing anything still unopened in any available cupboard space. He merely shrugged at a couple of Lindsey's peers who came out looking for something to eat and found empty countertops. "Sorry, you guys must have eaten it all," he said, kicking a half-full garbage bag back behind the kitchen island._

_Twenty minutes later, Greg and 'Rick walked back into the kitchen announcing the house had been scouted top to bottom and the only remaining teenager was a disgruntled Lindsey who was locked in her bedroom. Nick had quickly told his best friend goodbye, before pulling Greg out the door towards his truck. _

_On the way to Greg's apartment complex, Nick reached over to turn on the radio, but the young man in the passenger seat halted his hand in midair. Nick turned to look at him, surprised. Greg always wanted music playing if at all possible. He watched as his lover slipped a cd into the player and began pushing a button forwarding to the track he wanted to hear. As the music started, Nick began to smile and looked back over to see Greg's mischievous smile._

"_Cath's gonna want that cd back, G," he said with a grin. Greg just smiled and began to sing along with Cher._

_They say we're young and we don't know_

_We won't find out until we grow_

_Well I don't know if all that's true_

'_Cause you got me and baby, baby_

_Baby, baby, baby I got you_

_Babe, I got you babe_

_I got you babe…_

_

* * *

_

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I genuinely appreciate the feedback and look forward to seeing the little icon on my desktop telling me I have mail.

This story is coming to a close, I envision maybe a couple of more chapters before all is said and done (of course, I never thought I'd get to chapter 23 when I first started, lol). :0)


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Greg noticed some mumbling and dirty looks the week after returning from Christmas break from the guests who had attended Lindsey's New Year's Eve party. Lindsey, herself was particularly annoyed and was adding fuel to the fire at every opportunity. The young chemistry teacher held his tongue and proceeded to continue with his classes until finally reaching his breaking point on Friday afternoon.

As his final section was leaving the classroom, he asked Lindsey to stay behind. He could tell she was considering ignoring him and following her friends, but Greg walked over and closed the door before she could make her escape.

"We need to talk, Lindsey," he began, walking back over to his desk and settling himself on the corner, indicating that she should take a seat.

Lindsey gave a heavy sigh and sat at the desk closest to the door and crossed her arms in front of her body, outwardly showing her feelings of anger at being called out for her behavior.

"What do we have to talk about, Mr. Sanders? How you ruined my party?" Lindsey said spitefully.

Greg took a mental deep breath before responding to her words. "Lindsey, I don't feel I ruined your party. Yes, my behavior may have shortened it by a hour or so and I apologize for that, but …"

"It was important to me. You shouldn't have ruined it," the teenager snarled.

"I'm really sorry you feel like I ruined your party, Lindsey, but you weren't the only one who's evening was spoiled." Greg stood and walked over to the window, giving her only a view of his back. "I gave up my plans for the evening to help chaperone your party, Lindsey. Did you ever think that I may have not just been sitting around with nothing to do on New Year's Eve? That maybe chaperoning your party was not how I envisioned spending my night when I woke up that morning. I was trying to do a nice thing for you Saturday night, Lindsey. You don't have to worry about it ever happening again."

He turned to look at her and saw that the anger in her face was somewhat dimmed. "I've put up with more of your attitude this week than I would have of any other student, Lindsey. I guess it's partly out of respect for your mother, and partly because I do feel a little guilty about Saturday night. However, when you walk out this door I expect the matter to be put to rest. There will be no more of your attitude on Monday. If there is I am going to have to go to Doc Robbins and call Catherine in to discuss it. I'm giving you until Monday to cool off. Do we understand each other?"

Lindsey nodded, looking down at her hands that were gripping her text books tightly. "I'm sorry…."

"Not today, Lindsey." Greg interrupted. "I'm not accepting an apology today, just because you think it's expected. I want you to think about what I said and, if on Monday you truly want to apologize, then I'd be glad to accept it."

Greg walked to the door and opened it. "You're excused, Miss Willows." He moved back to his desk to sit down, suddenly feeling the need to have some support. He watched in the periphery of his vision as Lindsey stood and silently walked to the door, glancing back at him before leaving the room.

He leaned forward onto his desk and rested his forehead on the metal surface with a grimace. 'When did I become my mother?' he wondered silently to himself.

* * *

Greg was grinning. Not a small, little hey-thanks-for-asking-I'm-doing-fine grin, but a huge I-got-everything-I-was-asking-for-on-Christmas-morning type of grin. The past six weeks had been some of the happiest in his life and he was looking forward to spending the coming evening with Nick. He stood in front of his bathroom mirror and gave his hair one last tweak, knowing, at least hoping, that in a few short hours the style would be completely ruined.

He smoothed down the front of the new shirt he'd bought especially for tonight, knowing that wearing red on Valentine's Day was cliché, but upon seeing it in the store had decided it was perfect. It was _his _shade of red. Not an orangey red that made him look sickly, but a deep, almost blood red that made his skin seem to glow.

Greg hadn't spent a Valentine's Day with anyone significant since he was back in high school, and even that didn't count. He'd thought at the time that he was in love with the freckled-face blonde, but realized soon afterwards that what he thought was love, was her hedging her bets for a date to prom. However, even that didn't happen with him after she was approached by the captain of the baseball team a few weeks later, and had tossed Greg aside like a day old newspaper.

This was different. He'd known Nick for almost six months now, and they'd been intimate for four of those months. The Texan didn't show any signs of being bored with their relationship, in fact just the opposite; he seemed to want to spend all his time with Greg. And Greg wasn't complaining, not one little bit.

The two had discussed Valentine's Day, and agreed that neither one of them was the candy and roses type. Well, Greg had admitted he was not averse to candy, but the whole heart-shaped box phenomenon was definitely not necessary. When Nick had joked about jewelry, Greg had smiled and said, "We took care of that at Christmas, Nicky. Besides I'm not a diamonds kind of guy."

Clubbing, as an option, was discarded. As well as a fancy meal in an expensive restaurant. Together they had decided that a quiet meal at home and snuggling in front of Nick's television was more what they both wanted. Nick had offered to cook, but Greg had suggested Chinese and a take-out dessert from Moreno's and the older man had agreed without question.

Greg turned off the bathroom light and went to put on his shoes, looking over at the plastic bag from the video rental store laying on the bed. He'd picked up three movies, an action adventure, a thriller and a romantic comedy. He was sure that they'd eventually watch all three before Greg left to come home, probably tomorrow afternoon, but knew that they'd be snuggling to the romantic comedy tonight. Heck, neither one of them might be into roses and heart-shaped boxes of candy, but they were both closet romantics at heart.

* * *

Nick looked around the living room one last time; he wanted everything to be perfect. Even though Greg had shot down the whole hearts and flowers thing, the dark-haired man wanted him to know just how much spending Valentine's Day evening together meant to him.

The vanilla-scented candles he had lit an hour ago gave the room a new, unexpected smell that he hoped Greg would appreciate. He'd even put away his usual musical selections, opting for something a little more mainstream. It wasn't Greg's loud, raucous music, but a more subtle selection that he hoped the young man would enjoy.

Nick realized he hadn't put so much thought into a Valentine's Day evening ever in his life. Of course, he'd wined and dined other men before, even a few girls in his early days, but the only effort he'd put into those evenings had been calling to make reservations and purchasing the seemingly required candy and flowers.

No, Nick wasn't going his traditional route with Greg, because he wasn't just someone Nick was marking time with. Greg was special, from the top of his spiky, blonde-tipped head to his sneaker clad toes. Nick sighed. He had it bad, real bad and that didn't scare him in the least.

He looked at the clock and realized that Greg would be there any minute. He quickly dialed his favorite Chinese take-out restaurant to place an order, before turning off his cell phone and placing it out of sight. He didn't want any interruptions after the arrival of their meal. This evening was all about Greg.

* * *

Nick answered the door and pulled Greg inside, enveloping him in an embrace. "Didn't think you were ever going to get here, G."

The young man smiled. He loved that Nick was always so eager to see him, even this far into their relationship. Greg met Nick's lips with a firm kiss, opening his mouth and inviting the older man to intensify the greeting. "Well hello to you, too," he chuckled when his mouth was no longer occupied.

Nick grumbled at his apparent good humor. "Don't know why you even left this afternoon. You should have just stayed."

"Aww, you missed me," Greg teased the dark-haired man playfully. He looked into Nick's eyes and shook his head. "If you're just going to frown at me, Nicky, I think I'll just go home." He shifted his body towards the door, knowing full well that he wasn't going anywhere other than further into Nick's house.

Nick tightened his grip on the young man and gave him a knowing look, raising the corners of his lips in a wicked smile. "You aren't going anywhere, G. I've got plans for you tonight." He lowered his lips for another kiss and Greg met him halfway, straining into the broader man's body.

"Keep this up and I might have to leave and come back in again," Greg whispered. "I kind of like it when you say hello."

"I like it a hell of a lot better than saying good-bye," returned Nick, pulling Greg further into the living room, heading towards the couch. He gently lowered himself down until he was sitting on the cushions and brought Greg down so that he was straddling him.

Greg gave a sigh of contentment as he settled onto Nick's lap. "Happy Valentine's Day, Nicky," he said softly, looking into the dark brown eyes across from his own. He reached out to trace the lips in front of him with his thumb, giving a gasp of delight when Nick's mouth opened up and his thumb slipped inside the warm cavern.

"Someone's an eager beaver tonight," he sniggered, feeling Nick's tongue on his thumb. He reached down to his hip and took hold of one of Nick's hands and brought it up to towards his own mouth to return the favor, when the sound of the doorbell halted his movements.

Greg's thumb fell out of its wet enclosure with a plop, as Nick's head dropped to the back of the couch and he groaned in frustration. "Is that our dinner?" Greg asked as he leaned forward and licked a wet stripe across the exposed neck in front of him.

Nick nodded and made a move to get up, but Greg just grinned and rotated his body into the one below him. "Don't want you to forget where we left off after we eat, Nicky," he teased playfully, before allowing Nick to lift him off and set him on the adjoining cushion.

He watched as Nick crossed the room, picking up his wallet from a side table as he went. Greg levered himself up off the couch and headed for the kitchen to set out tableware. As much as both of them had been enjoying the pre-dinner entertainment, Greg knew that neither of them cared for eating reheated takeout. He smiled as he closed a cabinet door, knowing they had the entire evening to continue their interrupted session on the couch after their meal.

* * *

Greg lay nestled in Nick's arms as they watched the final scene of the romantic comedy he had selected. "That was good, G," Nick murmured against the blonde-tipped spikes, as he slowly rubbed circles on the young man's back.

"Yeah, I'd heard good things about it, but sometimes you can't believe all the hype, ya know." Greg sighed against Nick's chest. "Of course, sometimes you know starting out how the movie's going to end, but it's fun seeing how the characters get to that point."

Nick reached forward to stroke a thumb across Greg's cheek. "Kinda like us, huh, G?"

Greg lifted his head to look Nick in the eyes. "What do you mean, Nicky?"

The older man smiled. "If our relationship was a movie, I know what I'd like the final scene to be, G. It's just all the other stuff leading up to that scene that's unknown." He bent down to give Greg a soft kiss.

Greg shifted in Nick's arms. "What do you see that final scene being, Nick?" he asked, gazing into the dark brown eyes of the man holding him on his lap.

Nick just shook his head and smiled. "I'm not giving away the ending, G. You're just going to have to let it play out." He chuckled at the frustrated look on Greg's face and bent down to kiss away the crease between his eyebrows that look had caused. "It's time for dessert. Lorenzo packaged up your favorite for us."

Greg's look cleared as he sat up on the couch. "You brought home tiramisu, Nicky?" he grinned questioningly.

"Yeah, Lorenzo made sure your piece was nice and large, too," he laughed.

Greg jumped up and started for the kitchen before turning back towards the other man. "Does the movie of our relationship in your head have me running off for a quick fling with an Italian pastry chef, before coming back to you begging for forgiveness?" he asked with a smile on his face.

Nick leaned back against the couch cushions and gave his lover a playful scowl. "I can't say that I'd envisioned Lorenzo as a major character in the movie, G, but I could definitely work begging into the script."

He heard the young man chuckling as he opened the refrigerator to retrieve his promised treat, and although the closing of the refrigerator door muffled his words, he thought he heard Greg say, "It's not usually me doing the begging, Nicky."

* * *

.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.

* * *

Nick opened his eyes and looked over at the man sitting next to him and gave a sigh of contentment. The past seven months since meeting the young Californian had been the happiest of his entire life and that was saying something. Nick had experienced a childhood many could only dream of. He had loving, caring parents and siblings, and an extended family that welcomed him into their arms whenever he traveled back to Texas. His college and early professional years had been fun and exciting, with very little drama or heartache to consider. But the last seven months, with the exception of a few moments, had been joyous, the kind of days you relieve on your darkest nights, hoping to recapture the feelings, if only fleetingly.

Earlier in the week, both he and Greg had been offered contracts for the upcoming school year. Although the two men had not discussed the possibility of their school district not extending their current contracts, Nick had suffered some trepidation that perhaps the remarks made by Donovan Leahy had not been sufficient enough warning for Superintendent Ecklie and the school board to look past the rantings of the drunken man last December.

Watching Greg, as he sat with his ear buds in, gazing out of the airplane window, Nick experienced a momentary feeling of fear that maybe everything was going too well. Perhaps, the state championship, his relationship with Greg, and his seemingly perfect life at this point were all a dream. A dream that upon waking would make his life a nightmare. He stretched out a hand to touch the arm beside him, needing the tactile reassurance that only touching Greg would give him.

Greg felt Nick's touch and turned to his lover with a smile, removing his ear buds with his unfettered hand. "Hey, Nicky. Did you get any sleep?" At the older man's denial, Greg shifted in his seat, leaning into the man beside him and resting his head close to Nick's. "Me either. We'll have to catch a nap when we get to Mom and Dad's. This leaving in the middle of the night stuff was crazy."

Nick chuckled and agreed. "I didn't want to waste a minute of our Spring break, but I think I'm getting too old for all-nighters, they never used to bother me in college."

"You're getting to be an old man now, Nicky," Greg teased. "When we get back to Vegas, we better make an appointment to get you set up with hearing aids and a walker."

"Old man! Hey, I can keep up with you on even your best nights, G. Seems to me you were the one asking me to let you rest last weekend." Nick smiled at the incredulous look on Greg's face, seeing he was getting ready to refute the statement. Before the young man could voice his response, Nick leaned in to capture his lips. "I may be older, G, but that just means that I been around longer and know what I want out of life."

Greg looked deeply into the Texan's eyes and asked, "What do you want, Nicky?" He was hoping the answer to his question wasn't a what, but a who.

Nick reached up to caress a soft cheek in front of him. "Just you, G. All I want or need is you."

Greg sighed and leaned into Nick's touch. "I may not be as old as you, Nicky, but I know you're all I need or want, too."

* * *

His welcome upon exiting the airplane in San Francisco this time was much different than the one three months ago. In December Greg's mother had been hesitant and cold around him, but now after the initial embrace of her only son, Nick was being enfolded in her arms for hug that told him she was glad he had come to visit his boyfriend's family again. Nick looked up to see Greg watching the encounter with a goofy smile on his face and returned the grin, glad that this hello was so much less tension-filled than the one at Christmas.

As Karoline released Nick, he moved to take Jim Sander's hand and saw the older man smiling at the moment that had passed between his wife and his son's partner. "Glad to have you back with us, Nick," Jim said without reservation.

"Glad to be here, Jim. Didn't Karl and Ingrid come with you this morning?" he asked looking around the terminal for Greg's maternal grandparents.

Karoline smiled at the boys and answered for her husband, "Mom wanted to stay and make sure that when you got home there would be a hot breakfast waiting. I believe she was asking Greg's grandfather to get the waffle maker out of the pantry when we left."

Greg smiled and linked an arm with his mother's. "Just warning you, Mom. Neither Nick or I got any sleep on the plane or before we left last night, so we'll probably need to catch a few winks after we eat."

"That's okay, honey. I'll just be glad to have you both in the house again." She looked at her husband and he smiled. Jim liked it when his wife was happy, and she was never happier than when her family was all together under her roof.

* * *

True to Karoline's words, Ingrid had been undertaking the preparation of a breakfast that rivaled the one they had eaten on Christmas morning. In addition to the waffles that had been mentioned earlier, Greg's Nana Olaf had made a scrambled egg casserole with bacon, cut up a large bowl of fresh fruit and baked a large pan of sticky buns.

After Nick and Greg had hugged the older couple and said their hellos, the group sat down for a leisurely meal. Both the travelers cleaned their plates and although denying seconds of the food, drank multiple cups of coffee trying to fight the growing sleepiness that was overcoming them.

Nana Olaf sat quietly watching the interplay at the table, casting her eyes between the two men sitting across from her. Greg caught her glance and grinned at his grandmother. "You're quiet, Nana Olaf. What are you thinking?" he asked.

She looked at him and then at Nick before looking back to Greg, saying in Norwegian, "Du er to glad."

"Yeah, Nana. We are happy." Greg turned to smile at Nick, who nodded in agreement. "Very, very happy."

The older woman nodded and replied, "Glemm ikke denne følelsen, Greg."

"I won't, Nana Olaf. I'll never forget this feeling." He reached over to take Nick's hand, watching as the Texan struggled to cover a yawn. Greg turned to his family and began to push back on his chair to rise. "Time for us to catch some shut-eye, or we'll be dropping here soon."

Nick rose and thanked Greg's grandparents for the meal and allowed his lover to lead him up the stairs to the room they were sharing. He paused inside the door as Greg began unbuttoning his shirt for him, placing a kiss on his jaw line.

"Greg, I don't think I …," he began before he was cut off.

"Shh, Nicky. I'm not starting anything. I just need to…." He kissed Nick's neck and pulled the shirt off his shoulders. "I just need to …."

"It's okay, G. I understand." He stilled the young man's hands and pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around Greg's back. "I feel the same way, sweetheart." He rested his chin on the shoulder in front of him and ran his hands up and down Greg's back. "We need to get some sleep."

Greg sighed and leaned back to look Nick in the eyes. "I love you, Nicky, but the last one in bed has to snuggle with Einstein tonight." He pulled back and quickly began to work the buttons on his own shirt with a manic smirk on his face.

Nick grinned in response and lowered his hands to the snap on his own jeans. "You're on, G. Of course, I'd rather hold you in my arms."

At his words Greg faltered in his disrobing, allowing Nick to make quicker progress. The young man smiled and caught Nick's hands, stopping his movements. "How about if it's a tie, Einstein has to sleep downstairs?"

Nick nodded and moved his hands to the snap on Greg's pants instead. "I like the way you think, G."

* * *

Nick awoke and looked at the young man still sleeping in his arms. He gently disengaged himself and moved slowly from the bed, allowing Greg to continue sleeping. Grabbing his clothing from the floor, he quietly slipped them on before exiting the bedroom and walking downstairs.

The lower level was quiet and Nick kept his eyes open for anyone that might be in the silent rooms. When he came to the kitchen, he saw Nana Olaf sitting at the kitchen table snapping fresh green beans, a large bowl setting on her lap.

"Hello, Ingrid," he said upon moving into the room, his eyes settling on the coffee pot on the counter. "Do you mind if I get a cup of coffee?" Greg's grandmother nodded and smiled.

Nick filled a cup and moved to the table. "Where did everyone else go?" he asked, sitting down with the older woman and lifting the cup to his lips. Ingrid nodded her head towards the backyard and Nick acknowledged her movement with a smile.

After a few moments he began to fidget in his seat. "Greg tells me you're psychic. Is that right, Ingrid?" he inquired softly. The woman sitting across from him gave him a half smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Ja."

Nick set the cup on the table and laced his fingers together, resting his lower arms on the surface in front of him. He looked up at Ingrid and saw that she had halted her food preparation and was watching him intently, waiting for his next words.

"Ingrid, do you see a future for Greg and me? A long term future, I mean." He almost stumbled on the words, afraid of a negative response from Greg's grandmother.

She smiled and nodded her head, "Ja. Jeg ser et hus og barn."

Nick looked at her puzzled, "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

Nana Olaf set the bowl on the table and rising, crossed the room to pull a tablet and pencil from a drawer. She came back and sitting down in her chair, began to draw. Nick leaned forward to watch her movements. He saw as she drew a pencil outline of a house. "Hus," she said pointing at the drawing.

Nick nodded. "Hus, house," he repeated, understanding her meaning.

Ingrid smiled and proceeded to draw two stick figures beside the house. She pointed to one and said, "Greg." Then pointed to the other one and pointed to Nick.

"So, Greg and I have a house together, Ingrid?" he asked with a smile.

"Ja," she said raising the pencil one more time. Nick watched as she continued to draw. This time she drew two more stick figures, however these stick figures were smaller than the first two. "Barn, to."

She raised her eyes to Nick's and saw they were glistening with unshed tears. "Two children, Ingrid?" he asked with a choked voice.

"Ja, Nicky. To." She set down the pencil and carefully tore the paper from the tablet and handed it over to Nick, who took it reverently.

"Thank you, Nana," he said quietly, staring at the paper. He felt her touch on his arm and looked back up at Greg's grandmother. "I love him so much."

She nodded at Nick and smiled. "Det er god, Nicky." She patted his hand and then reached for her bowl to return to her task. Nick stood and walked out of the kitchen headed for the stairs and Greg.

Entering the bedroom he slipped the drawing carefully into his suitcase being vigilant not to crease the paper, before removing his outer clothing and crawling back into bed. He reached out for Greg and smiled as the young man snuggled into his body unconsciously in his sleep.

* * *

A couple of days later the two men sat on Ocean Beach and watched the sun set into the waves, Greg nestled between Nick's legs, his back against Nick chest. "That was beautiful, G. Thanks for bringing me here to see it." Nick rubbed his cheek against the young man's soft hair as darkness fell around them.

"I love sharing it with you, Nicky. Growing up this was my favorite place to be. I solved many a world's problem on this beach." Greg turned his head to place a kiss on the dark-haired man's face.

Nick lifted one of Greg's hands and brought it up to his lips to place a kiss on the soft palm. "Where's your favorite place now that you're all grown up, G?"

"That's easy, Nicky. It's anywhere you are," he said without hesitation.

Nick lowered his forehead to Greg's shoulder and groaned, "Hell Greg, do you realize what you're saying that does to me?" He placed one hand on the young man's torso and the other on a leg to pivot Greg slightly, enabling him to capture the other man's lips.

Greg wrapped his arms around Nick and pulled him close. "Love you so much, Nicky," he whispered as the older man's lips drifted to the crease of skin where Greg's neck and shoulder met.

"Let's come back this summer, G. We'll drive out. That way when we go back to Vegas we can take your dog back with us." Nick continued to kiss the young man, talking softly as he moved his lips across the creamy skin of his lover.

"I'd love to come back here with you this summer, Nicky, but I can't take Einstein back to Vegas with me, my apartment doesn't accept pets. Maybe I can find another one though; my lease is up the end of July."

Nick brought his hands up to cradle Greg's head and murmured against his lips. "Don't renew that lease, G. Pack up all those cds and bottles of hair product and move in with me." He latched onto Greg's soft lips and suckled gently.

"Nicky?" the young man gasped when he was allowed to breathe again. "What…."

"I'll put up a fence so that Einstein can have the run of the backyard. I'll even put in a doggy door if you think we need one." Nick returned his lips to Greg's mouth stilling the questions the young man was attempting to form.

"Move in with me, Greg. Share my life. Please." He continued to hold Greg's head in his hands, stroking his thumbs across sunburned cheeks, as he leaned back far enough to look at the chemistry teacher's expression.

Greg looked back at Nick with eyes glazed with wonder and need. "Nicky, are you sure?"

"Been thinking about it for a long time now, G. I really want you to move in with me. I want to share everything with you. Do you want that too?"

"God yes, Nicky. I'd love to move in with you. I love you so much."

Nick caught Greg's lips and after a chaste kiss, pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around the young man as tightly as possible. "I love you, too, Greg, more than I thought possible."

After a short while, Nick and Greg stood, and linking hands walked down the beach towards the parking lot. They both knew that there would be many more trips to this spot. It was now another place where they had made a memory and as such it would always be cherished.

As they reached the car, Nick turned Greg's body so that they were both looking back at the dark of the ocean. "We'll bring our children here one day, G." Greg looked at Nick with an incredulous expression. Nick merely smiled, "Since meeting you, Greg, I've begun to believe in psychics."

* * *

The End….

Thanks for sticking with me everyone. I've appreciated the support and reviews enormously. If at anytime I decide to continue in this AU, I'll add another chapter at the end to let anyone who has a story alert know about its presence. ;0)


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